Charmed: The Lost Sister
by MetalOx137
Summary: Prue and Piper attempt to rebuild their lives with new sister Paige after Phoebe's disappearance. Excerpted from the Charmed AU series on AO3.
1. Chapter 1

It was a bright, sun-drenched Sunday morning in March, but Piper Halliwell's disposition was anything but sunny. The young woman stared sourly at her own reflection in the bathroom mirror, her features pinched and drawn into an almost permanent scowl, her jaw clenched with a simmering, unresolved anger. She'd been in a blue funk for several days, but now her sadness was giving way to a darkening rage.

She sighed heavily as she dressed for church. There didn't seem to be any point to it; there didn't seem to a point to much of anything - not with the bedroom across the hall from her sitting achingly empty.

"Phoebe made her choice," Prue had said, more than once, as if that settled the matter. But to Piper, the matter was hardly settled. Phoebe was gone. And the fact that Phoebe was gone was not nearly as painful as the reason why. To Piper's mind, the answer was plain and simple, and it galled her. Phoebe had a new family now, one she liked better than her old one.

Galled? No, that was the wrong word. Piper was wounded - as mortally wounded as if a knife had been stabbed into her heart. When Phoebe had returned from New York, it all felt as if things were going to be different now - the sisters had found the Book of Shadows, they had learned they were witches, but most importantly, they were a family again. If she could count on nothing else, Piper could count on the fact that no matter how weird things got, Prue and Phoebe would always be there. Until that black day only a few weeks ago, when Piper had found Phoebe injured and sobbing in the living room.

Piper had listened incredulously to Phoebe's story - that, somehow, she had been whisked away to another world, without any lapse of time in this one - and while there, she had met two other "sisters" to whom she had given her heart completely. What was worse, it soon fell out that Phoebe's story was actually true - and that she wanted to stay there, in that other world, with the sisters she considered family. Which left Piper with only one conclusion.

She wasn't family. Not any more.

She returned to her bedroom, fully dressed except for her shoes, and sat on the edge of her bed, hands folded in her lap, staring ahead without really seeing anything.

Prue Halliwell, dressed in a modest black dress and blazer jacket, peeked her head around the door frame.

"Andy's going to be here in ten minutes," she announced, fidgeting with one of her earrings.

Piper didn't shift her empty gaze. "I'm not going."

Frowning, Prue stepped into the bedroom. "What do you mean, you're not going?"

"I mean, I'm not going to church today," Piper answered. Her voice was too quiet, a sign of her suppressed anger.

"Why not? Aren't you feeling well?"

"No, I'm not feeling well," Piper said evenly.

Prue sighed sympathetically. She knew the reason behind Piper's malaise - she was feeling it herself. "Maybe you should come anyways," she suggested. "Might take your mind off things."

Slowly, Piper shook her head.

Prue regarded her younger sister with concern for a moment, and then took a seat beside her on the bed.

"Look, if you really don't want to go, I won't force you," Prue said softly. "How about, Andy and I will swing by the house after the service, we'll pick you up and we'll meet Paige for lunch."

"No."

"Piper - "

"I said, no, Prue." Piper finally turned her head to meet her sister's gaze. "I don't want to sit and have lunch and make small talk with strangers."

"There's a chance Paige isn't a stranger, Piper."

"I don't care. I don't care," Piper repeated, with rising heat. "I don't care how nice she is, and I couldn't give a damn if she's related to us. She's not my sister. I want my sister back. I want Phoebe."

Prue waited patiently and silently, knowing that Piper's anger was threatening to boil over.

"I really thought this time was going to be different," Piper said at last.

Prue frowned. "How do you mean?"

"You. Me. Phoebe. I really thought - I mean, I just had this feeling that we were finally done being apart. That we were going to be family. That we were going to be there for each other, and look out for each other."

"Phoebe's always gone off, searching for her heart's desire," Prue pointed out. "This time isn't any different, Piper."

"Sure it is. She's in another goddamn universe, Prue."

"That doesn't mean we won't ever see her again."

"I just keep thinking, how could she pick somebody else over us? Were we so terrible as sisters, that she couldn't wait to get away from us?"

Prue sighed sadly. "We haven't always been there for each other," she admitted. "But that's something we can change."

"How can you be okay with this, Prue? How?" Piper demanded, with sudden anger. "How can we be a family, if there's only two of us?"

"It's not just the two of us," Prue said quietly. "Soon, we'll find a way to cross the barrier, and we can be part of Phoebe's life again - "

"Yeah, but she's never going to be part of ours," Piper said bitterly. "She's replaced us."

Prue sighed heavily. "Piper -" she hesitated for a moment. "For the record, I'm not 'okay' with it, either," she admitted. "And yeah, I thought we were going to be a family again too. We were wrong. Phoebe made her choice, and now we have to make ours. We can either sit around and feel sorry for ourselves, or we can get on with our lives."

Fat tears welled in Piper's eyes. "Doesn't it bother you that we're never going to see Phoebe again?"

Prue bit her lip, and was a long time in answering. "If I really thought that was going to be true, then ..."

She couldn't even finish. The bitter truth was, if Phoebe had turned her back on her sisters, Prue would never trust anyone enough again to let them into her heart. Ever. The betrayal just hurt too much.

"We are going to find a way to see Phoebe again," Prue said firmly, trying to convince herself as much as Piper. "And what I hope is, we don't just get our sister back - maybe we get some new sisters, too. I think I could be okay with everything, if we could make that happen."

"That other Prue - she kept looking at me like I was some sort of ghost." Piper discreetly wiped a tear away. "Didn't she seem just totally weird to you?"

"It was weird, seeing myself being six years older, with a kid," Prue admitted. "And seeing another Phoebe - a demonized Phoebe." She shuddered involuntarily.

"I just - I don't even want to deal with it," Piper admitted. "Any of it. I just want things to go back to the way they were."

"I know, Piper, I know."

"I hate her."

"You don't hate her," Prue remonstrated gently. "You're just very angry with her."

"Aren't you?"

"I know Phoebe can be oblivious to our feelings sometimes -" Prue began, and then broke off. "Yeah," she admitted. "I'm angry with her too." She took in a deep breath. "But - I hope, when our prodigal sister returns, we'll forget about being angry and just be happy she's with us."

"I don't think I can forget being this angry," Piper said quietly.

"All the more reason you should come to church," Prue suggested. "Pray for temperance."

Piper snorted mirthlessly. "This is a switch," she said.

"What do you mean?"

"Usually, I'm the one defending Phoebe's behavior to YOU."

"I'm not defending her."

"Sure you are."

The doorbell rang.

"That'll be Andy," Prue sighed. She took her sister's hand in hers and gave it a gentle squeeze. "Come with us," she pleaded softly.

Piper shook her head. "I'm gonna pass."

"Okay, you don't have to come to church, but you have to come to lunch."

Piper sat as she was, resolutely discontent.

"You have to eat some time, Piper. So have lunch with your big sister today. Trust me. It will make her happy."

Prue got up to go, but as she did so, she leaned over and planted a tender kiss on her sister's cheek.

"I love you," she whispered, and then left the room.

Piper waited until she heard the front door downstairs close, and the sound of Andy's car driving away - then she crumpled into a ball of misery, weeping bitter tears.

* * *

Prue stared out the car window, much like her sister had done earlier, seeing nothing. Andy Trudeau noted Prue's pensive behavior, and mulled over the possibility of drawing her out in conversation.

"So, Phoebe's left town again?" he offered, as casually as he could.

Prue kept her gaze out the window. "Yes, she has."

"I thought she was back for good this time."

"So did I."

Andy pursed his lips, trying not to force the conversation. Prue was wont to withdraw into herself rather than talk issues out even at the best of times, but it was obvious she was under considerable stress.

"Prue, you know, if you ever need someone to talk to - "

"I know," Prue cut him off, and then, realizing that she was being brusque, she forced herself to look at him and smile. "I appreciate it, Andy. Thank you."

"If you want to keep whatever's going on private, that's fine. I just want you to know, if you need anything at all, you can ask me."

Prue's smile softened and became genuine. "You're a good man, Andy Trudeau."

"Is there anything I can do for you?"

"You're doing it now," Prue assured him. "You're taking me to church and giving me a strong arm to lean on. And I really do appreciate it, Andy."

Andy smiled back. This was as much as he was likely to get from her on the topic of Phoebe's departure - at least, for now. He decided to change subjects.

"So, who is it we're meeting for lunch today?"

"Her name is Paige Matthews. She's a social worker."

Andy frowned in concern. "She's not - "

"I'm not seeing her for professional reasons," Prue elaborated somewhat. "She's -" Prue hesitated for a moment. "There's a chance - she might be a relative of the Halliwell family."

"What, like, a lost cousin?"

"Something like that," Prue nodded.

"Really," Andy mulled that over, genuinely intrigued. "How'd you meet her?"

"Piper and I had lunch with her last week, and as we were talking, we realized we had too much in common to be just coincidence."

"Like what?"

Andy immediately regretted asking the question; Prue was shutting down again. He didn't need to be an inspector to know she wasn't being entirely candid.

Prue bit her lip, only too aware that Andy had seen holes in her story already - and she'd barely said anything. She sighed heavily.

"Andy, I'm sorry," she said contritely. "I really would like to be able to tell you everything. I just can't. Not right now."

Andy didn't reply, and Prue reached over, resting her hand on his knee.

"Prue, whatever it is you're scared of, you know you can talk to me, right?"

"I know, Andy. And, yes. I am scared. No," she corrected herself. "More than scared. I'm terrified."

Andy frowned again. "Are you in any kind of trouble?" he asked with concern.

"No," Prue assured him emphatically and honestly. "Everything's fine."

"Is it?" Andy asked pointedly.

"Everything's fine," Prue repeated evenly, but then her expression turned distinctly sorrowful. "It's just - right now, I really, really miss my baby sister."

* * *

After she had cried herself out, Piper finally unfurled herself from the bed, shrugged herself out of the dress she had decided she wasn't going to wear anyway, and quickly slipped into a oversize sweatshirt, jeans and sneakers.

She hadn't made any conscious decision about what she was doing; all she knew was, she couldn't stay in the house a minute longer. Not with that horribly empty bedroom across the hall, reminding her she no longer had a sister. Leaving behind even her purse, she grabbed only her house key and all but fled from the manor, walking briskly up the sidewalk in the bitingly cold March morning air, paying no attention whatever to where she was going.

"Hey, Piper!" A male voice called out. "Wait up!"

The voice didn't really register at first, and Piper kept walking mechanically, until she realized that the voice was one she recognized. Bewildered, she stopped and looked around her, but had almost decided she had been daydreaming, when she turned and abruptly ran into Leo Wyatt.

"L-Leo," Piper looked at him, dumbfounded. "What are you doing here?"

Leo smiled warmly at Piper. "Well, ahh . . . actually, I'm here to see you."

Piper was still too disoriented to be pleased. "Does that mean you're back?" she asked cautiously.

"If you want me to be. Yes."

Something like a moue of pain crossed Piper's face; she grimaced involuntarily. "I'm sorry, Leo. I'm just - I've had enough of people coming and going right now."

Leo didn't seem confused or put off by Piper's cryptic remark. "Where are you headed?" he asked.

"Don't know, don't care," Piper declared. "As long as I'm walking." And with that, she set off again.

Leo nodded soberly, and fell into step beside her.

"Leo, please, I really would rather be alone right now," Piper protested.

"I think it might be better if you were with someone," Leo said quietly. He paused. "I heard about Phoebe."

"You did?" Piper was genuinely surprised. "How?"

It was Leo's turn to grimace with irritation. "Man," he sighed, "This is gonna be awkward. Piper - I know about you - and your sisters. That you're witches. Charmed Ones."

Piper came to a sudden halt, and stared at Leo apprehensively.

"How did you know that?" she hissed, and then suddenly regarded him warily, wondering if she should be afraid of him.

Leo seemed to know what she was thinking. "No," he said firmly, "I'm not a demon."

Piper was in no mood for mere assurances. "Prove it," she snapped.

Leo sighed disconsolately, feeling the enormity of the task ahead of him. "There's a lot of things I need to tell you," he said finally. "And I'm really sorry. I should have told you before."

"Talk fast, Leo."

"Piper - everything you know about me so far is all true. You know I care about you. And I never would have left, if I didn't have to. But - I could never tell you why before." He looked at her pleadingly. "I need to tell you now."

"You have a wife in another state?" Piper guessed.

"Ahh - no."

"You're a warlock?"

"No."

"A wizard, then."

"No. Look - why don't we grab a cup of coffee, or something?" Leo suggested. "This might take a while."

They continued their walk up the street, and a few minutes later, they had settled themselves into a booth at a corner donut shop. Leo handed Piper a cup of coffee. She took it gratefully.

"Thanks."

She sipped at the bitter liquid slowly, savoring it, savoring the normalcy of the simple act of just drinking coffee. Leo took a swig from his own cup and then set it down.

"I really don't know where to start," he confessed. "So I guess I'm gonna just dive right in. Piper - have you ever heard of . . . White Lighters?"

Piper frowned. The term seemed familiar somehow, but she couldn't place it. Finally she shook her head.

"All good witches have guardians of some sort," Leo began his explanation. "Most have familiars. But truly powerful witches have - well, someone assigned to watch over them. To protect them."

"Wait a minute," Piper exclaimed, setting her own cup down, as a forgotten memory tugged at her mind. "You mean - that stupid story that Phoebe told me - that was TRUE?"

Leo frowned. "I'm not sure what you mean, what did she tell you?"

"Well, I don't know, Leo, I wasn't paying attention to her the first time." She put her head in her hands. "I can't believe I'm hearing this," she groaned. Finally she looked up. "So, what, you're an angel?"

"Uhh . . . not exactly."

"What exactly are you, then?"

"Angels have assigned me to watch over you and your sisters. To be your guardian."

"Angels. Real angels."

"Yup."

"Angels are real."

Leo gave her a wide grin. "Yes. They are."

"And I had to miss going to church today," Piper muttered to herself.

"I'm not a being of magic," Leo continued. "But - the angels have granted to me certain limited magical abilities, so that I can protect you and your sisters."

Piper glanced around her apprehensively, but no one in the busy coffee shop was paying the slightest attention to their ridiculous conversation.

"So, you can practice magic?"

"Not - really," Leo answered awkwardly. "It's kind of hard to explain."

"Try harder," Piper suggested brusquely.

"Do you remember when Rex Buckland stole your powers?"

"Yeah, I'm trying to forget about that, actually."

"I was the one who got your powers back."

"YOU did that?" Piper was genuinely surprised. "How? Wait. You know what? Never mind. So, if you're supposed to be our guardian angel, why did you leave us?"

Leo sighed heavily. He gave Piper such a longing look she began to feel almost uncomfortable.

"I didn't leave because I wanted to," he said finally. "White Lighters aren't supposed to fall in love with the witches they protect."

Piper pondered the implications of Leo's words. "You mean - that - uhh -"

"I love you, Piper. I'm in love with you."

Piper felt as if the bottom of the world was falling out from underneath her - but in the best way possible. She reached out for Leo's hand. He took her smaller hand in hers and clasped it.

"Please tell me you're staying," Piper said finally.

Leo's broad smile was warmer than the sunlight. "I'm staying."

Piper closed her eyes for a moment, realizing with utter certainty, that at least one of her prayers had been answered.

"You okay?" Leo asked, when Piper opened her eyes again.

Piper slowly shook her head. "I'm really feeling - overwhelmed," she answered.

"I know what you mean," Leo nodded sympathetically. "Anyway, after that whole business with Buckland happened, the elders wanted to reassign me to someone else, because they knew that you and I were starting to have . . . feelings for each other. But then, Phoebe disappeared."

Piper frowned. "Wait, these - these elders - they _knew_ about that?"

"They know Phoebe's gone. They just don't know where."

"She's in an alternate universe," Piper declared, happy at last to be able to throw confusing information at someone else, instead of always being the recipient of it.

"She's what?"

"Yup. She's on another damn planet, with another Prue, and another Halliwell sister."

"You're sure about that?"

"I've been there, Leo. I'm sure."

As Leo tried desperately to wrap his head around that news, Piper sighed disconsolately. The young man frowned with concern.

"Piper, I'm so sorry. I had no idea."

"It's not your fault." She managed a weak smile. "But as long as you're staying - then I think I might forgive you."

"I'm staying."

Piper leaned back in her seat, and sighed. "So. There are real angels, and real witches."

"Yes. There are."

"We're not the only ones?"

Leo grinned. "No. You're not."

"Are there lots of witches?" Piper asked, curious.

"You mean, witches like you, and your sisters?" Leo sought to clarify.

"Yeah."

"At a rough guess - I'd say about a couple hundred living in America, and probably a couple thousand more scattered around the rest of the world. But none as powerful as you."

"And these ... elders? Who - or what - are they?"

"Honestly, I don't know a whole lot about them," Leo admitted. "I'm not - well, ascended high enough, I guess. All I can tell you for certain is that they're a group of lower ranked angels tasked with protecting good witches everywhere. "

"Uh-huh." Piper decided she couldn't care less about the elders. Save for one concern. "They're - not going to ask you to leave again, are they?"

Leo smiled. "No."

Coming to a decision, Piper got up out of her side of the booth, and gave Leo a none too gentle nudge. "Move over."

She slid onto the seat next to him.

"Hold me," she pleaded.

Leo was only too happy to oblige, encircling Piper protectively in his muscular arms. She lay her head against his shoulder. A single, traitorous tear spilled down one cheek.

"She left us, Leo," Piper said brokenly. "She left _me."_

Leo gave Piper a paternal kiss on the forehead and held her tightly. And for a time, they were aware of no one but each other.

* * *

Prue Halliwell would be the first to say she didn't have what was considered a clingy personality, but all throughout the church service, and on the way back to the car, she found herself hanging onto Andy Trudeau as if for dear life. When Andy put his arm around her, she snuggled against him, so much so they had to walk slowly.

By this time, Andy knew better than to try to interrogate Prue directly; whatever secrets she was hiding, she would decide when she was ready to share them. But her suffering was so acute, and so obvious, he wished desperately she could just simply tell him what the hell was going on.

Even after they got back in the car, as they settled themselves into their seats, Prue reached over and grabbed Andy's hand, almost like a child. Instead of starting the car, Andy sat patiently while Prue struggled with the feelings she was clearly trying to suppress.

"How can I help you?" Andy asked finally.

"Andy..." Prue managed a wan smile. "Do you think - after we meet Paige for lunch, can we - go back to your place?"

Andy didn't want to read anything into the request. He simply nodded. "Sure, Prue."

Prue bit her lip. "I - I want to spend the night," she confessed haltingly. "With you."

Andy's answering smile had far more tenderness than lust in it. "I would like that."

"It's just - I'm feeling really . . . fragile . . . right now," she admitted. "I could really use some comforting."

"Whatever you need."

"And some animal warmth." Prue's shy smile turned lustful. Andy felt his heart skip a beat. He squeezed her hand gently.

Hesitantly, Prue leaned over, and they shared a tender kiss. Andy couldn't help smiling.

"I've really missed this," he said softly.

"Yeah. Me too." Prue kissed him again, a quick, gentle brush of the lips. "I'm so sorry, Andy."

"What for?"

"I've been holding you at arm's length for a long time now," Prue admitted, her voice shaking slightly. "And I never meant to do that."

"I hope you know, you can tell me anything."

"If you keep on being so perfect - I just might." Prue smiled at him, tears welling in her eyes. "Thank you."

As Andy gave her a quizzical glance, Prue added, "For being strong. For being kind. For giving me all the time and space I've needed to work things out."

"I love you, Prue," Andy said impulsively.

They kissed again, a long, slow, lingering kiss, tinged with sorrow as well as passion.

"I love you, Andy Trudeau," Prue confessed at last. "With all my heart."

Her defenses for the moment rebuilt, she gave him her most radiant smile.

"I love that smile," Andy declared. "It's the most beautiful thing in the world."

Prue drooped her head shyly, still smiling, clasping his hand.

"Yeah, I like yours too." Her voice had trailed off into a carnal whisper.

After a long moment, she sighed and sat up straight.

"Ready for lunch?" Andy asked.

"Let me try calling Piper first," Prue said, digging her phone out of her purse. She dialed the manor and put the phone to her ear. As the answering machine picked up, Prue brushed away a stray lock of ebony hair from her face.

"Hey, Piper, it's me. If you're home, pick up," she said. After waiting several seconds, she added, "Andy and I are on our way over to Quake. If you get this message and need a ride, just call me back, okay? I love you."

After waiting a moment more, she hung up. "I guess she went out."

"Do you still want to go to the restaurant?"

"Yeah. Paige will be waiting for us - and we're late already. So let's go."

* * *

Paige Matthews fidgeted nervously at the restaurant. She had arranged to meet Prue and Piper Halliwell for lunch, and she was obviously the first to arrive; but after waiting almost twenty minutes, she was beginning to wonder if she hadn't made a mistake. Finally, Prue and Andy walked up to the table.

"Paige. Hi," Prue greeted her breathlessly. "I'm so sorry we're late."

"That's all right," Paige smiled in relief. She stood up to greet the new arrivals. Tall and slender, she wore a modest black dress that could work equally well in either formal or informal settings. Her shoulder length, fire-red hair cascaded gently around her moon-shaped face and soulful eyes. She smiled politely and extended her hand in greeting.

"This is my boyfriend, Andy Trudeau," Prue made introductions. "Andy, this is Paige Matthews."

"Pleasure to meet you," Andy smiled, taking Paige's hand and clasping it.

"Likewise." She turned to Prue. "I thought you were bringing your sister."

"She - wasn't feeling too well this morning," Prue allowed.

"Sorry to hear that."

"Anyways, thanks for meeting us."

They all sat down together.

"So, Prue tells me you guys might be related?" Andy decided to try a softball question.

"That's what she says," Paige smiled with bemusement. "I honestly don't know anything about my birth family," she admitted cautiously.

Paige seemed reluctant to elaborate, so Andy changed the topic. "So, what do you do for a living?"

"I work for Bay Area Social Services. I'm basically a paid intern at the moment. But my goal is to become a qualified social worker."

"Wow, that's great," Andy said with genuine admiration. "There's always a need for good people in that field."

"Thanks. How about you?"

"I'm a homicide detective."

"Really." Paige seemed impressed. "Wow."

"Inspector, Andy," Prue corrected him with a grin. "You're an inspector."

"Sounds better than gumshoe," he grinned back in agreement.

Paige looked to one, then the other. "How did you guys meet?" she asked, genuinely curious. "I mean, art curator and homicide detective? Doesn't sound like you'd have a whole lot in common, you know?"

Andy and Prue both laughed.

"We're childhood sweethearts," Prue explained. "We had our first fling in high school. And just recently, we ran into each other again after not seeing each other for a few years, and -" she smiled shyly. "We decided maybe it was time to try romance again, as adults."

"Wow. That's pretty cool," Paige smiled in return.

"How about you, Paige? Anybody special in your life?"

Paige shook her head. "Nope, no significant others, no friends with benefits," she declared. "No attachments of any kind." She bobbed her head solemnly. "Kind of married to the job right now."

"We know how that goes," Prue agreed sympathetically.

There was a pause in the conversation as one of the wait staff brought over a tray of water glasses and menus.

"So, what's good here?" Paige asked. "I think you guys told me, your sister works here, right?"

"She's day shift manager during the week," Prue nodded.

"So, you should have the inside scoop, then."

Prue laughed. "There's nothing bad here." She glanced at the cocktail menu. "Would you like to order a drink first?"

Paige shifted in her chair slightly. "Ahh, no, thanks," she demurred. "I, ahh, got into a little trouble with alcohol when I was younger. Trying to stay away."

"Say no more," Prue gave her a reassuring smile, tucking the menu behind the condiment tray. "We'll stick with iced teas and waters."

"Thanks." Paige gave Prue a grateful smile.

After they had placed their orders, Paige decided she had worked up the courage to approach the main topic of discussion.

"So, I'm curious," she began shyly, "How you decided we might be related?"

"Well, that's based on information I got from my youngest sister, Phoebe."

"She's the one who's traveling right now?"

"That's her. There's three of us - me, Piper and Phoebe. I'm the oldest. I'm going to be twenty-nine this year," she made a face. "Piper's not quite two years younger. Phoebe's the baby of the family. We don't see her much," Prue added sadly. "She gets wanderlust. She came back from New York City just a couple of months ago, and now she's off God knows where."

"You miss her," Paige observed quietly.

"I miss her a lot," Prue admitted somberly. She forced herself to smile, to cover her pathos. "Anyway - if what she tells us is true, there's a possibility you might be our half-sister - on our mother's side."

"I have to admit, I was kinda curious," Paige allowed. "I was adopted as a baby. But if you think it's true, couldn't you just ask your mom?"

"She's - my mom's dead," Prue answered, unable to think of any way to soften the awkwardness.

"God. Prue, I'm so sorry."

"It's okay, Paige. Really. There's no way you could have known."

"What about your dad?"

"My dad's still alive." Prue sighed heavily. "The most diplomatic thing I can say about him is, I'm lucky he's not around."

Paige grimaced. "Yikes. Okay, so, you're not close then."

"No. But for whatever it's worth, I don't think we have the same father."

Paige decided to let that remark pass without comment. "I don't know anything about my birth family," she confided. "My foster parents died in a car crash when I was fifteen."

"Oh, Paige. I guess now it's my turn to be sorry," Prue said somberly.

"It's okay. Like you said, you couldn't have known. Anyway, I had gone through church adoption services as an infant, so I checked with their registry. I was a literal foundling. A man and a woman came into the church one night, handed me to one of the nuns, and just - took off." Paige pursed her lips, realizing how pitiful such an explanation might sound.

"And the nuns had no description of your parents?"

"Nothing that would be of any use in identifying them," Paige sighed. "Assuming it was my mom and dad. I don't even really know that for sure. The only thing they could tell me was, the couple insisted they were leaving me with the church in order to keep me safe. The nun who spoke with them said they seemed heartbroken."

Pure mulled over that information for a long moment. "If you don't mind my asking, how old are you?"

"Twenty-three."

"And when were you born?"

"August 2nd. 1977. I mean, that was the best guess the nuns could make. Nobody really knows for sure."

Prue frowned, concentrating hard. "Mom was still alive then," she murmured aloud, thinking to herself. "There's one way we can be sure if there really is anything to this," she decided aloud. "Would you be willing to have a DNA test? See if we can get a match?"

"What, you mean, between the two of us?"

"Yes."

"Yeah, okay." Paige gave Prue a shy smile.

Prue sensed some hesitation. "You're sure? I don't want to push you into anything."

"No, no, it's fine, really," Paige assured her. "It's just - I don't want to get my hopes up too much, you know?"

"I understand," Prue said sympathetically.

* * *

Piper and Leo were slowly walking back in the direction of the manor, hand-in-hand, unhurried, relaxed; in complete contrast to Piper's panicked and hasty flight a short time earlier.

"I'm glad you came back," Piper admitted quietly. "I was really starting to feel - abandoned," she almost spat out the word.

"Well, from what you've told me, it sure sounds like Phoebe was placed in an impossible situation."

"It's not impossible," Piper objected, but she didn't raise her voice. The fit of grief and rage had passed over, and for the moment, she was feeling quite calm, and slightly empty. "We're her family. She should have stayed with us."

"I'm not trying to defend her actions, Piper."

"I know. And I can't even say I would've have acted any differently, if I were in her place. I guess I'm just glad I haven't been in a situation where I had to find out."

She gave him a rueful grin. "And I really can't believe I'm even talking about all this with you."

"It does seem a little surreal, doesn't it?" Leo agreed with some sympathy.

"Oh . . . damn!" Piper swore softly.

"What is it?"

Piper made a moue of irritation. "It's nothing. I was supposed to meet Prue for lunch, and I didn't bring my phone. She's gonna think I stood her up."

"Well . . . I'm pretty sure you guys can schedule a make-up date."

"Yeah, but - we were supposed to meet Paige, and - " she broke off. "Oh, wow, you haven't heard this yet, have you? When Phoebe went off to this other planet, wherever the hell it is, she met a girl named Paige Matthews. And apparently, she's a half-sister to that family of Halliwells. When we got home, Prue did a search on the Internet, and found a Paige Matthews living here in San Francisco."

"You think she's related to you?" Leo raised an eyebrow.

"Well, that's just it, Leo. We have no idea." Absent-mindedly, Piper kicked at a small stone on the sidewalk with the tip of her shoe. "We had lunch with her last week."

"What did you tell her?"

"Nothing, yet. Except that we thought she might be related to us somehow."

As Leo gave her a concerned look, Piper gave him a tolerating smile in return. "What? Did you think we were going to tell her that we're witches? And that she might be a witch too?"

"Did you?" Leo shot back.

Piper snorted. "Not likely," she declared. "Just lobbing the whole 'hey-you-might-be-family' wrecking ball was enough for a first meeting."

"So?"

"So, what?"

"Do you think she's related to you?"

"Leo, how the hell should I know? I sure didn't ask her if she keeps a cauldron in her kitchen, or anything like that."

It was Leo's turn for a tolerant smile. "What's your gut reaction?"

"She seems nice enough," Piper replied. "But honestly, Leo, I don't know. For all I know, it's just coincidence, and maybe she has nothing whatever to do with us."

"Well..." Leo mused in a long, drawn-out sigh. "I guess we'll find out soon enough, won't we?"

* * *

Paige Matthews returned to her tiny one bedroom apartment, feeling something very much like relief. The day had not been a long one, but she felt exhausted nonetheless. The lunch date with Prue Halliwell and her boyfriend had been pleasant enough. But the implications of their meeting tugged at her heart as well as her mind, and she felt strangely disquieted. Family? Was it possible, after all this time, she might have found her birth family?

She shrugged herself out of her dress and pumps, and hurriedly pulled on a comfortable set of sweats. She poured herself a glass of water, and then flopped herself down into a recliner chair. She picked up the remote and switched on the TV set, leaving the sound off. Mechanically, she began flicking through channels, as her mind wandered elsewhere.

She tried to concentrate on Prue's face. Was there a family resemblance there? She decided she couldn't tell. And what if they were related? Was this someone she wanted to let into her life?

"Not that you have a life," she commented aloud to herself, looking around the tiny room. For nearly her entire adult life, she had been singularly - she searched for the right word - untethered. No close friends, no lovers - at least, not anyone for whom she felt any great emotional attachment. And that had been largely intentional on her own part. Reluctantly, she admitted a dark truth to herself: afraid of being hurt, of being abandoned, as she had been twice as a child - it was too much. And she had quite deliberately never let anyone get close to her after that.

"To lose one set of parents can be counted a misfortune," she modified the old quote for her own amusement. "To lose two, smacks of carelessness."

Normally, she could deflect her darker thoughts with sarcastic humor, but today the exercise seemed hollow. She was alone. And she was tired of being alone. She wanted desperately to belong - to be with someone, anyone. To have friends. A lover. And most of all, a family. And now that a real prospect to end her self-imposed isolation was laid bare before her, she had to admit - it terrified her.

There was a heavy, violent knock at her apartment door, and Paige nearly leaped out of her skin. "AAHHH!"

She got up out of the chair, her heart thundering in her chest. The angry knock repeated, so forcefully that Paige could swear she saw the door shuddering in its hinges. She wondered, briefly, if it might be a better idea to not answer - and then, as she watched incredulously, the door was forcibly kicked in, splintering in its frame.

"Jesus!" Paige exclaimed. "What the - "

Her voice trailed off as she stared at the figure in the doorway. It was a man, or at least, it appeared to be a man - but there was something bestial in his aspect. He stood nearly seven feet tall, his frame impossibly muscular, dressed mostly in rags, and his mouth was open in an ugly snarl. His entire body seemed to glow faintly with some blue light, as if from phosphorescence or putrefaction - but it was his eyes that made Paige's blood ran cold. They seemed to be little more than empty sockets, within them a total absence of light - a darkness so profound that instinctively Paige shuddered with revulsion. She swallowed hard.

"Who - WHAT - are you?" she managed to ask.

"I am Shax," said the demon, almost politely. "And you - are dead."


	2. Chapter 2

It was a late Sunday afternoon in March, and even though the sun hadn't set, the temperatures were falling fast. The clear, sunny day was rapidly giving way to a frigid night. Prue Halliwell sat on the sofa in the living room of Andy Trudeau's modest apartment, trying to make herself comfortable. For several months now - what seemed like a lifetime to Prue - she had been hiding her secret from Andy, that she and her sisters were witches. Now, as she sat fidgeting nervously, she was trying to work up the courage to tell Andy what she had wanted desperately to tell him for months. Her fear had made her miserable, but a growing sense of despair had left her with the feeling there was nothing left to lose.

It had all started several months before, when Prue's baby sister Phoebe returned from New York. That was the night when everything changed. It was the night that the Halliwell sisters discovered that they were witches, true witches, with the power to channel magical energy and cast spells. But more importantly, it seemed as if the estranged sisters had finally put their collective grievances behind them, and forged themselves into a real family. Or so they thought.

Two weeks ago - or was it three? Prue couldn't remember; pain had a way of taking one completely out of time - Piper had come home to find Phoebe laying on the floor, injured and nearly hysterical, babbling about having been to some other world, and meeting another set of Halliwell sisters.

Then, to Prue's amazement, Phoebe's story turned out to be true. Prue met herself, or, at least another version of herself - six years older, widowed, and a single mother with a beautiful four year old daughter. Distraught and tearful, Phoebe had tried to explain, she needed to stay with this new sister and niece, and share her life with them. And the world changed again.

In the time since, Prue had put up a good front, getting on with life. She was pragmatic enough to accept things she couldn't change. But this was different. Ever since Phoebe left, Prue felt as if the bottom had dropped out of the world. She felt strangely empty and hollow. Charmed? What did that mean any more? Did it mean anything at all?

Prue's other sister Piper, more willing to show her emotions openly, vacillated wildly between seething rage and cloudbursts of tears. Whatever Prue felt, she kept it tightly locked up, as she always did. But now, huge cracks were appearing in Prue's psyche, and she was simply too exhausted and too grief-stricken to keep up the pretense of serenity and control. The only question that remained for her was whether sharing the truth with Andy would drive him away for good. She had surreptitiously attempted to sound him out once before, under the cover of a spell - but, Prue reflected ruefully, spells cast for personal gain had a nasty karmic habit of rebounding on the caster. If she told him now, with no magic between them, would his answer be any different? Prue was feeling such despair at the moment, she was half convinced before this was all over, she was going to be utterly alone for the rest of her life, without friends, lovers or even a family. And it was more than she could bear.

Andy came in from the kitchen, carrying a tray with a coffee urn and two small porcelain mugs. He set the tray down on a low table, poured a cup first for Prue, then one for himself. Prue smiled at him, and took the cup into her hands gratefully.

"Thanks."

Andy settled himself down on the sofa beside her, trying as hard as Prue to appear relaxed and comfortable while feeling anything but. On the other hand, for the first time in weeks, it seemed like Prue was ready to talk, and Andy was more than willing to listen. He sat patiently while Prue sipped her coffee, trying to gather her courage.

"Andy ..." she began haltingly, "I had made up my mind to tell you everything that's been going on. It's just - honestly, I'm not even sure where to start."

"Why don't we start with Phoebe," Andy suggested quietly. "Because it's obvious she's on your mind right now."

Prue sighed deeply, the exhalation ragged and mournful. "Yeah," she admitted. "She is."

She took one lingering sip from her coffee cup and set it down. She was worried her hands would begin to shake as she spoke.

"Phoebe's gone. You know that," Prue said quietly. "But the more I think about it, I can't help feeling that I'm responsible for her leaving."

Prue swallowed hard. _Here I go, over the cliff,_ she thought to herself.

"Phoebe and I always had our sibling rivalry down pat. When she left for New York, I was, like, 'good riddance'. I had days when I thought I'd be genuinely happy if I never saw her again. And I have to be honest. I had a lot of days when I really was happy that she was gone. That was probably the ugliest our relationship ever got."

"You guys were always kind of nasty to each other," Andy allowed. "I saw a lot of that, even when we were dating before. More than I wanted to see, actually."

"Yeah, I'm not terribly proud of that." Prue looked at Andy pleadingly. "Probably didn't make the strongest case for being a desirable girlfriend, did it?"

"It didn't help."

"Ouch." Prue grimaced. "Well, thanks for being honest."

"You didn't come over here today to have me tell you comforting lies, Prue."

"No. I didn't," Prue admitted, and she sighed again. "When Phoebe came back this last time, though, it really did seem different. We started with our claws out again, especially that first night when she came home, but after a couple of days of that, we just - I don't know. We were done with it. Maybe we'd both grown up - just a little," she smiled ruefully. "We still had our disagreements, but, we didn't just shut each other down like we used to. We talked. We listened to each other. And I was trying, really trying, to not be so critical of her. And it really seemed, at least to me, that we were even kind of liking each other. Or at least not hating each other quite so much."

Andy gave Prue a bemused look, and she managed a weak grin. "Yeah. I know. Don't go flying off the handle, huh? But it's true. At least, I thought it was."

"So what do you think happened?"

"Well, Phoebe's always gone running off, wherever her heart leads her. She's a feeler, not a thinker. But I thought - I hoped," Prue corrected herself, "That we had managed to put some of the resentment and anger behind us. But when she left this time - I had a long, hard look in the mirror. I kept thinking, what kind of good memories did Phoebe and I have of each other? And I had to admit - there wasn't much."

She took another sip of coffee to compose herself. "I'm not the most supportive person in the world," she admitted. "I mean, empathy's not really my thing. I was hard on Phoebe. Even when she came back, I could have been more welcoming. Or more accepting. Or more - oh, I don't know," she sighed forlornly.

"Why are you laying this guilt trip on yourself, Prue?" Andy asked pointedly. Prue looked up at him in genuine surprise.

"Guilt trip?" she repeated numbly.

"Why is this time different than any other time? I mean, you guys have never really liked each other. And just because you're related to someone doesn't mean you have to like them, or be close to them. You never felt that way before. So what changed?"

"What changed is -" Prue swallowed hard. "I'm about to open a really, really big can of worms here, Andy."

"It's fine, Prue."

"No, I mean it, this is a really big can. Huge."

"I'm not going anywhere."

Prue smiled at Andy gratefully, but before she could answer, Prue's cell phone warbled inside her purse, and she forcibly pushed away a moue of irritation.

"You don't have to answer that," Andy suggested quietly.

"I just need to see if it's Piper. Anybody else, it's going to voicemail," she promised.

She dug the chirping device out of her purse and checked the number on the tiny screen.

"It's Piper," she sighed with exasperation. "I'm sorry, Andy, may I -?"

"Go ahead."

Prue flipped open the phone and brought it to her ear. "Hey, Piper, you okay?"

"Hey, Prue. Look - I'm so sorry about this afternoon - I left the house in a huff, and I forgot my phone -"

"It's okay, Piper. I just wanted to be sure you were all right."

"Yeah, well, I'm as all right as I'm going to be, I guess," Piper said morosely. "Anyway - I need to ask a favor."

"Name it."

"Leo's back in town, and I was wondering -"

"Leo's back?"

"Yeah. And he kind of dropped a bomb on me."

Prue gave Andy a helpless look. "A bomb? What kind of bomb?"

Andy frowned, wondering if he should be paying closer attention to this particular phone call.

"Well... a bombshell, anyways. Do you remember that stupid story that Phoebe told us, when Leo left last time?" Piper asked.

Prue made a face. "Uhh - no. Not really."

"Yeah, I didn't remember it either. But it's true. Look, I really don't want to talk about this over the phone. Are you going to be home soon?"

"Actually, I'm over at Andy's right now -"

"Are you going to stay there? Overnight?"

Prue inhaled sharply. "I was - I am - going to tell him all about us," she confessed.

"You're finally going to tell him you're a witch? Without casting a spell on him first?"

"Yeah, I guess I really am."

"Oh, thank God. About time, Prue."

"You're okay with that?" Prue asked incredulously.

"Phoebe and I were telling you to do that for weeks, but you never listen to us."

"No, I don't," Prue admitted, all self-recrimination. "I'm really going to try to change that, Piper, I swear I am."

"Yeah, well, just don't chicken out this time. It's getting old, Prue."

"You're right, you're absolutely right," Prue agreed solemnly. "And I won't. I promise I won't."

"Will you be home tomorrow?"

"Yes, I will."

"Do you mind if Leo spends the night here?"

"Not at all."

"Okay, then, make your confession, and then get your butt back here first thing in the morning. We have witch bombs and angel bombs and I don't know what the hell else going on, but I'm not gonna deal with this all by myself."

"You're sure everything's okay?" Prue asked anxiously.

"As long as you're gonna be back here in the morning, everything's fine," Piper assured her.

"I will be."

"In fact - put me on speakerphone for a minute."

"What?"

"Just do it, Prue."

Bemused, Prue did as Piper asked.

"Hey, Andy," Piper's voice floated out of the tiny speaker.

"Hey, Piper."

"Don't let my big sister off the hook, okay? Make her tell you everything. And I mean everything. Because if she doesn't, I will. And I guarantee you, she won't like my version."

Prue winced involuntarily.

"Uhh, okay, Piper," Andy agreed, dumbfounded.

"Okay. Gotta go. Love you both. Prue, I'll see you in the morning."

"I'll be there," Prue promised. "I love you. Bye."

Prue snapped the phone shut with great relief. She didn't quite manage to suppress a shudder.

"Well, that was gruesome," she muttered almost under her breath. She took great care in powering off the phone. "No more calls," she promised.

"Is everything okay?"

"Piper's boyfriend Leo is back in town."

"Oh."

"Which, actually, is fine, because that means you and I can finally -"

Andy's service phone began a warbling claxon of its own. Prue and Andy exchanged an aggrieved look.

"This is a conspiracy, isn't it?" Prue asked sourly.

"Sure seems like it," Andy agreed. "It's my work phone. Sorry, Prue, I have to take this."

"If it's anything other than life or death, tell 'em you'll deal with it tomorrow."

Andy put the phone to his ear. "Hey, Morris. What's - "

Prue could not hear the conversation on the other end of the line, but Andy's grim expression assured her the news was bad.

"We'll be right there," he said tersely, and hung up.

"What is it?"

"Domestic disturbance call. Officers on the scene are reporting one confirmed murder, and at least one other person missing." He stood up, clipping the phone back to the holster on his belt loop.

"You have to go, don't you?"

"We have to go."

 _"We_ do?"

"Prue - one of the victims is Paige Matthews."

* * *

As they sped through the city toward Paige's apartment, Prue sat nearly frozen in the passenger seat of Andy's sedan, her heart in her throat. Darryl Morris had been unable to give Andy any details as to which of the victims was the fatality - and Prue found herself praying, abjectly, that Paige would be the one still alive.

As they pulled up to the apartment building, Prue felt another thrill of dread, seeing all the black and white units surrounding the front entrance, their flashing lights nearly blinding her. Andy rolled down his window, flashed his badge to the officer guarding the cordon, and the officer nodded wordlessly, granting them access to the parking garage. Andy pulled his car in the first available space, and gallantly helped Prue exit the side door - she was shaking so badly she could barely stand.

"You okay?" Andy asked with concern.

"No," Prue said honestly.

"Maybe you should wait here," Andy suggested.

Prue shook her head. "I have to come with you," she said, her voice taut. "If this is what I think it is - I need to be there."

Andy frowned, not understanding, but he took Prue by the elbow and gently guided her towards the elevators. They stepped into the car and rode in terse silence until they reached the fifth floor. As they exited into the hallway, they could easily see a knot of patrol officers setting up for crime scene investigations only a few feet away. The door frame leading into one of the apartments was shattered as if from a bomb blast. Darryl Morris, Andy's partner, saw them approaching, and hurried over to meet them.

"One confirmed deceased, one victim still missing," he said to Andy without preamble. "Forced entry into the unit from the outside. One of the neighbors heard the disturbance, and came to help. Cost him his life."

"Positive ID?"

"On the neighbor, yeah. Wang Yingjie, 25. Resident of the complex last two years."

Andy's eyes narrowed. "What is it, Morris?"

Morris pulled Andy aside, away from Prue.

"What's she doing here?" he demanded in a fierce whisper.

"She can give us a positive ID on the Matthews girl."

"We have to find her first."

"She's the one who's missing?"

"We have officers searching the building for her now. Witnesses saw her moments after the attack, apparently injured. Described her as being covered head to toe in blood."

"Was she kidnapped by her attacker?"

"We don't know. One witness said he saw her disappear in a puff of smoke. I think we can discard that testimony."

Andy felt his stomach tightening into knots. "Anything on the weapon?"

"Far as anyone knows, there was none."

"What?"

"Trudeau -" Morris leaned forward, so his whisper would be heard by Andy alone. "The victim was torn to pieces. I mean that literally. We're still finding parts of him up and down the hallway. There are no lacerations from a blade. He was pulled apart, like taffy."

Andy suppressed the urge to gag. Prue stepped forward.

"Darryl, was there a description of the attacker?" she asked.

"Prue, this is a murder investigation. I can take your statement later."

"I'm not here to make a statement," Prue said evenly. "Do you have a description?"

Morris was clearly about to make a retort, when Andy firmly took his arm. "Morris. Answer her question. Please," he said quietly.

Darryl Morris regarded his partner with suspicion, but he saw Andy was entirely serious.

"Trudeau, this is going on your report," he warned.

"Understood. What's the description?"

"Witnesses describe a large male, accounts ranging from seven to ten feet in height -"

"Seven to TEN?" Andy asked incredulously.

"Come on, Trudeau, you know how it is with eyewitness accounts. But all agree, he was huge. Built like a football player. With blue skin. And glowing." Morris grimaced in self-disapproval. "And I can't believe I just said that out loud."

Prue turned to Andy. "I need to see the inside of the apartment."

Without waiting for approval from either detective, she quickly crossed the hall, and entered the unit, not yet barricaded by police line tape.

"Prue? Hey! You can't go in there - that's a crime scene," Morris called out, lunging after her. "HEY!"

With a wave of her hand, Prue put up a magical barrier in front of the ruined doorway, fully realizing there would be hell to pay for that little gesture later. The living room in which found herself was almost completely destroyed. Most of the furniture and other furnishings had been shattered into fragments. The room was also spattered with blood. Not large amounts, but enough for Prue to fear the worst.

Shuddering, Prue closed her eyes and concentrated. There was a strong, unmistakable magical presence lingering in the room - no, not one, but two. And an oppressive sense of malevolence. Prue opened her eyes. Two beings of magic, then. Paige - and her assailant?

She quickly crossed to the bathroom, which appeared to be undamaged. She found a hairbrush next to the sink, and hastily slipped the brush into her purse. She returned to the living room and dropped her barrier. Morris rushed in and grabbed her hand.

"You, OUT, now," he almost shouted, all but dragging her from the room and back into the hallway. Once safely away from the door, he rounded on her. "What the hell do you think you're doing?" he demanded.

"Your assailant is a demon," she said, addressing both men together.

"Sorry, he's a what?"

"Andy, Darryl, this is important. This guy you're looking for - your officers can't handle him. If they see him - and trust me, they won't be able to miss him - they need to fall back. Nobody out here has got any weapons that can deal with him."

Andy and Darryl exchanged dumbfounded glances.

"I'm serious," Prue protested. "If any of your officers try to arrest him, they'll just end up dead."

Darryl Morris fixed Prue with his most disapproving stare. "Prue," he said, too quietly, "You need to leave this building, right now."

"Yes, I do," Prue agreed. "I have to find Paige. And I'm the only one who can." She turned to Andy. "Do me a favor?"

Andy shrugged helplessly.

"I know I sound like I've gone completely off the rails, but please, you have to trust me. I can help with this. When you get done here, come over to my house? And bring Darryl - if you can convince him to come. Doesn't matter what time. I'll be up all night."

"Do you know what's going on, Prue?"

"I already told you, Andy. We're looking a demon. A demon who will stop at nothing, until he's found and murdered Paige Matthews. And we have to find her before he does."

"Why do you think she's still alive?"

"There's no body."

Andy Trudeau looked utterly baffled.

"He has no use for her body," Prue explained. "It's her powers he wants."

"Powers?"

"He thinks she's a witch."

"A witch," Andy repeated dumbly. He shook his head as if to clear it. "So, Paige Matthews is a witch? A real, live, practicing magic witch?"

"I don't know," Prue said honestly. "But it would explain a lot. Andy, I have to go. Stop by my house as soon as you can."

Impulsively, she leaned forward and kissed him on the cheek.

"I'm so sorry about this," she whispered.

She hurried over to the elevator and quickly stepped inside, blinking back tears. Relative or not, Prue was certain that Paige was an innocent she was meant to protect - and right now, she was failing utterly in that duty. Adding to that agony was the near certainty that she and Andy had spoken their last civil words to each other - and that their relationship, what remained of it, was likely to be completely shattered by the time this night was over.

Angrily wiping her face, Prue turned her phone back on, waiting impatiently for the sluggish elevator to descend to the ground floor. She dialed the house and put the phone to her ear.

"Hey," Piper's voice came over the line. "I wasn't expecting to hear from you again tonight."

"Piper, we're in trouble," Prue said, her voice shaking. "Big trouble."

"What is it?"

"A demon just tried to kill Paige."

"Oh, my God. Is she all right?"

"I don't know. She's missing. I'm on my way home. Is Leo with you?"

"He's right here."

Prue closed her eyes for a moment, overwhelmed with relief.

"Piper, this is important. I need you to go up to the attic. Bring the Book of Shadows down into the living room. Set up the altar with the little cauldron - the silver one. And see if we still have any yarrow root left over in the pantry. Don't let Leo leave your side, even for a minute."

"You think this demon is coming after us?"

"I think Paige is his first target, but I'm pretty sure we're next on the list. Hurry, Piper. I'll be home as soon as I can."

"Okay."

"I love you," Prue added, feeling utterly helpless as she said it. The call ended, the elevator doors opened, and Prue stepped out into the lobby, hot tears streaming down her cheeks.

* * *

Less than forty minutes later, a taxicab pulled up in front of the Halliwell manor on Prescott street. Prue hastily paid the fare, and all but bolted up the steep steps to the porch. She stepped inside the foyer, breathless, carefully closing the door behind her. Piper hurried out of the kitchen to meet her, Leo close at her heels. Prue couldn't help it; she pulled her sister close into a tight hug, choking back a sob.

"Prue, are you all right?" Piper asked, alarmed.

"Sorry, sorry," Prue mumbled, reluctantly releasing her sister and wiping her eyes. "It's been a really shitty night. And it's probably going to get a lot worse."

"What can I do to help?" Leo asked quietly.

"He knows about us, Prue," Piper added quickly, with a moue of embarrassment. "That we're witches. Charmed Ones."

Prue froze in mid-step. "Does EVERYBODY know about us?" she cried in dismay.

"Prue, he can help. He's a White Lighter - a guardian angel for witches."

"A guardian angel."

"He's helped us before - we just didn't know it."

Prue shook her head in aggravation. "This night just keeps getting better and better." She looked over at Leo. "If you really want to help, Leo, don't let my sister out of your sight."

"Got it covered," Leo nodded in solemn agreement.

Prue finished hanging up her coat, then hurried into the kitchen, frantically pulling out bottles from the pantry shelves.

"Prue, if there's a demon after us, how are we going to stop him, without Phoebe?" Piper asked, a little catch of fright in her voice.

Prue shrugged helplessly. "I don't know, Piper. We'll have to think of something. Where are the damn cloves?" she asked angrily, rummaging through the shelves.

"Out on the counter," Piper told her. Prue brought several bottles of herbs over to the butcher block table and set them down: lemon grass, sage, rosemary, lavender and a large box of sea salts.

"What are you doing?" Piper asked, curious.

"We need to cast two spells, right away," Prue answered, getting out a large mixing bowl and dumping a half of a cup of sea salt into the bottom. She began opening the bottles and sprinkling small amounts of the herbs over the top of the salt. "The first one is a protection spell - to put a magical barrier around the house."

"Will that stop a demon?" Piper asked.

"I doubt it," Prue said, not looking up, "But it should slow him down. Piper, get some rosemary, yarrow root, a sprig of holly, and some cypress needles, and take them into the living room - but don't put them in the cauldron yet."

"How the hell can you even remember all this stuff?" Piper demanded incredulously.

"Because I'm scared out of my wits," Prue said tersely. "Helps me focus. Leo, if you really want to help, stick around. I'll have a task for you in just a minute."

Leo nodded. "Just tell me what I need to do."

Prue quickly mixed the herbs and salt with a wooden pestle, then took up the bowl in her arms. "Let's go into the atrium for a minute."

They quickly walked into the atrium, and Prue settled herself into one of the chairs, placing the bowl on a low table in front of her. With visible effort, she calmed herself, taking in deep breaths and exhaling slowly, then she closed her eyes and steepled her hands as if in prayer. After a moment, she placed the palms of her hands downward over the rim of the bowl and began a short recitation, half-spoken, half-sung. The mixture in the bowl began to glow as if radiating its own light, then the glow faded. Prue opened her eyes and managed a smile, satisfied.

"There. That should do it."

Leo grinned appreciatively at Prue. "I didn't know you spoke Latin. That's a very old prayer."

"The old prayers still tend to be the most powerful," Prue said, standing up and handing the bowl to Leo. She regarded him with newfound approval. "I didn't know you understood Latin."

Leo's grin turned rueful. "We're learning a lot about each other tonight."

"You're not kidding. Okay, guardian angel, what I need you to do is take this stuff, and sprinkle a little bit in front of every doorway and every windowsill - even up in the attic."

"Got it."

"Just a little pinch will do. This stuff will go a long way. Once you've covered every entrance, leave the bowl on the sideboard, near the front door, and then join us in the living room. Oh, and if you find any windows open, even a crack, close them, please?"

"Be right back." Leo hurried away, intent upon his task.

"Piper, do we have any sandalwood incense left?" Prue called out, as she returned to the kitchen.

"Check the downstairs bathroom," Piper's voice floated back from over in the living room.

Prue checked in the medicine chest, found the incense package, shook out two sticks and brought them to the kitchen, where she placed them in a small oblong urn, along with a pinch of lemongrass and sage. She lit the end of the first stick and took the urn into the living room, letting the smoke waft gently behind her as she made a careful circuit around the space, before finally placing the urn on the mantelpiece.

Piper crinkled up her nose at the smell. "Do we really need to leave that in here?"

"Trust me, Piper - we really do."

"Okay, I've got all the ingredients. Now, what?"

"Hang on." Prue scampered into the hallway, and returned a few moments later with her purse. She dug out Paige's hairbrush and set it beside the shallow silver bowl.

Piper frowned, remembering. "Wait - we're doing the 'call a lost witch' spell?"

"That's right."

"But isn't that only for, uhh, dead people?"

"Living or dead," Prue assured her. "In this case, we'll use the hair from Paige's brush to help direct the spell. And as we add each of the ingredients to the cauldron, we'll speak her name aloud."

"And then she'll just appear out of thin air?"

"This is magic, Piper." Prue looked askance at her sister. "What, calling Melinda Warren wasn't weird enough for you?"

"Oh, trust me, this more than weird enough," Piper retorted. "I just didn't think it would work on a living person, that's all."

"I'm praying with all my heart that Paige is still alive," Prue said grimly.

"Prue. What if - " Piper hesitated. "What if Paige isn't a witch? Or what if she's not related to us at all?"

"Then we'll scry for her, using strands of her hair wound around the crystal pointer."

"You think of everything," Piper shook her head, marveling in genuine appreciation at her sister's planning.

"I really don't," Prue said ruefully, and then she smiled. "But thanks for the vote of confidence."

Leo shuffled into the room, still cradling the mixing bowl in one arm. He pulled the curtains aside and sprinkled the mixture lightly over the windowsills. The grains of salt sparkled with light as they fell, then faded as they made contact with the surface.

"Damn pixie dust," Piper muttered.

"Hey, Prue?" Leo called out, looking out the window. "I think you have company."

"Company?"

Prue joined Leo at the window and looked out. Although it was now quite dark outside, under the street lamp Prue could easily see Andy Trudeau and Darryl Morris coming up the sidewalk. She sighed visibly with relief.

"Leo, have you covered the front door yet?"

"No, I was saving that for last."

"Don't worry," she said, taking the bowl from him. "I'll get that. Oh, and by the way -" she took a small pinch of the mixture and flicked it, so the salt grains scattered over his head and shoulders. He wrinkled up his nose and nearly sneezed.

"Sorry about that," she said, grinning at his discomfiture. "Just marking you as a friend of the house. That way you'll be able to come and go as you please."

Leo gave her a grateful smile in return. "Thanks."

Prue went into the hallway and carefully sprinkled a small amount of the salt mixture just in front of the front door. Then she opened the door, and waited as the two men came up the steps.

"Andy. Darryl. Thank you so much for coming," she greeted them as they arrived on the porch.

"We're here on police business, Prue," Andy said somberly.

"I know." She took a small pinch of the salt mixture, and flicked some first at Andy, then at Darryl. She smiled sweetly. "Please come in."

"What was that for?" Andy asked, more perplexed than annoyed.

"To protect you," Prue said matter-of-factly, shutting the door as the men entered. She set the bowl on the sideboard. "Is there any word on Paige?"

"Not yet."

"Come into the living room."

They walked into the room together. "Andy, Darryl, this is Piper's boyfriend, Leo," Prue made introductions.

"Nice to meet you," Andy said tersely, all business. "Prue, I'm afraid Inspector Morris and I need to speak to you privately."

Morris was more blunt. "The boyfriend needs to leave."

Leo looked over to Prue for direction, and she shook her head. "No. Leo has to stay. He's part of this. And there won't be any secrets in this house," she added quietly. "Not any more."

She took in a deep breath, and looked at Andy with obvious tenderness. "The irony of all this is, I've been trying so hard to keep everything a secret from you," she said, with a slight catch in her voice. "And now, I'm going to have to reveal myself in the most public way possible. I can't hide any more. So I've chosen to trust you - all of you. Andy, Darryl, Leo - please understand, what I'm about to say to you - what I'm about to show you - means I'm putting my life into your hands. And not just mine. It's Piper's life too, and probably Paige's."

Prue cast a sidelong glance at her sister. Piper nodded her solemn approval.

"Please, everyone, won't you sit down?"

Prue could see that Darryl was about to object. "Please, Darryl. Give me ten minutes. Hear me out. I'm asking you as a friend. What I'm about to say could save Paige's life."

Darryl glowered at her for a long minute, pursing his lips. Then silently, he settled himself into one of the upholstered chairs, consenting but not approving. Leo and Andy followed suit. Prue sighed with immense relief. Piper sat on the couch, beside the altar, but Prue decided - for the moment - to remain standing.

"Andy - I know you've had lots of questions about me lately," she began, her voice shaking slightly. "I think it probably started a few months ago, when you found me and my sisters outside that warehouse where Stefan was holed up."

"You know something about that guy?" Darryl asked, an unmistakable edge in his voice.

"Yes. I do," Prue said flatly. "And - at a rough guess - there's probably about a half-dozen other unsolved cases on the San Francisco police books that my sisters and I have been directly involved in, that we never told you about."

"What?!"

She held up a hand, pleading for patience. "I'm sorry, Darryl, Andy. I don't have time to do this the right way. An innocent girl's life is in danger, and the longer we dither, the less chance we have of finding her alive. Just - bear with me. Please."

Prue closed her eyes for just a moment. _Give me strength,_ she prayed.

"I am a witch," she confessed aloud. "My sisters are witches. We can control and manipulate magical energy. We can cast spells. We can bind curses. We can converse with spirits. But most importantly, when innocent people are threatened, we can vanquish demons. I know what I just said sounds utterly ridiculous. But it's all true, and I can prove it."

Prue looked first to Andy, then to Darryl, to gauge their reactions. She cringed inwardly as both men were giving her the look she desperately hoped they wouldn't be giving her - the one that said, _you've completely lost your mind._ She moved over to the couch, so that she was standing beside where Piper was sitting.

"Right now, out there somewhere, Paige Matthews is being threatened by one of these demons. And we have to find her. All I'm asking is for you to give me and my sister ten minutes' grace. And I pray with all my heart, when that ten minutes is up, we will find Paige safe and sound. Please. Give us that chance. Give _me_ that chance."

Andy and Darryl exchanged dubious glances, but neither spoke. Prue settled herself down on the couch beside her sister, and gave her a pleading look. Slowly, the corners of Piper's mouth turned up in an approving smile. Her look communicated her unspoken words: _I am so very proud of you._

"Are you ready for this?" Prue asked Piper.

Piper nodded solemnly. "Let's do it."

Prue took up a small piece of the yarrow root, and wound a strand of Paige's flame-red hair around it.

"Paige Matthews," she murmured softly, letting the root and hair touch the metal at the bottom of the bowl. "Sister, we summon thee."

Piper took up several cypress needles, and as Prue had done, wound a strand of hair around them in a loose bundle.

"Paige Matthews, sister, we summon thee," she echoed, placing her offering into the bowl.

Prue took up a small pinch of ground rosemary leaves and another strand of hair. "Paige Matthews, sister, we summon thee."

Piper took up the small sprig of holly, wound another strand of hair around it, and placed it in the bowl. "Paige Matthews, sister, we summon thee."

Prue took up her small silver athame - barely larger than a paring knife - and, holding her left hand over the bowl, pricked her left index finger. A fat drop of blood welled at the fingertip. Prue pinched the finger gently, and one drop of blood - then another - spilled into the bowl.

"Paige Matthews, blood of our blood, we summon thee."

She handed the knife to Piper, who repeated the action and the prayer. Then the sisters clasped their bleeding hands over the bowl. Curlicues of smoke began to rise from where the coppery-red blood struck the surface of the silver metal.

 _"Power of the witches rise, course unseen across the skies,"_ the sisters chanted softly in unison. _"Come to us, who call you near. Come to us, and settle here. Blood to blood, we summon thee. Blood to blood, return to me."_

From out of nowhere, a gentle breeze began to stir within the room, and heavy tendrils of smoke spilled out over the edges of the silver bowl, slowly spreading across the low table. Andy and Darryl looked at each other in dumbfounded amazement. Darryl gripped the arms of his chair so tightly, his fingernails paled from lack of blood.

The breeze picked up, becoming a wind. Leo simply watched, as if he had expected it; but the other two men were growing vaguely alarmed. In the center of the room, a bright light appeared from nowhere, growing in intensity along with the rushing wind, and then, suddenly, light and wind were both gone, and standing there, shaking uncontrollably, disheveled, weeping and covered in blood and dirt, was Paige Matthews - terrified, injured, but very much alive.

Prue sprang from her seat and gathered the girl in her arms. As Paige fell against Prue, she began to sob piteously.

"It's all right," Prue murmured, closing her eyes and hugging Paige tightly, as tears of her own spilled down her cheeks. "I've got you. I've got you. You're safe now. You're safe."

"What the hell was _that?"_ Darryl Morris asked, in complete unbelieving agitation.

Andy Trudeau shook his head, a wide, incredulous grin plastered across his face. "A miracle," he marveled.

"No," said Prudence Halliwell, still weeping but smiling happily. _"That_ was magic."

* * *

The next few minutes were hectic, as everyone's focus circled around Paige Matthews. She was gibbering with fright and exhibiting borderline hysteria, so Piper and Leo gently but firmly removed her from Andy and Darryl's well-meaning interrogations, and took her upstairs to get cleaned up. Prue none too subtly pushed the detectives into the kitchen, where she brewed a carafe of coffee, as well as a mug of chamomile tea for herself. Andy and Darryl settled in at the barstools on the end of the butcher-block island.

"So, you're telling me you and your sisters know what happened with all these unsolved cases?" Darryl demanded, as he took the coffee cup offered by Prue.

"I'm not involved in every case going through your precinct, Darryl," Prue answered evenly. "But yeah, there have been several cases where my sisters and I took care of the demon responsible, and nobody knows."

"So - that guy Stefan - "

"A demon named Javna."

"And where is he now?"

"In Hell. Where he belongs."

"And the murders at the Spencer estate?"

"A demon named Hecate. Look, I know this is a lot to take in -"

"Take in?" Darryl's voice was rising in pitch to match his anger. "Lady, do you even know what the word 'perjury' means? Or how about the phrase, obstruction of justice? Or -"

Andy halted him with a calming hand on his shoulder. "Morris. Relax," he said quietly.

"I'm sorry, I really am," Prue assured them both. "But if I had told you, up front, that these murders were committed by demons, and that my sisters and I were responsible for sending these monsters back to Hell - what would you have said?"

"We'd have sent you for a psych evaluation," Andy admitted.

"Andy, Darryl, please, I swim in this world, and it's weird enough for me," Prue pleaded. "I can't even imagine what you must be thinking right now."

"Honestly, Prue?" Darryl said. "I don't know what to think."

"Well, now that I'm 'outed', I need to ask a favor."

"What kind of favor?" Andy asked.

"Please don't tell anyone about me and Piper. We don't need for the rest of the world to know we're witches."

She could see Andy was about to object, so Prue added quickly: "Please, Andy. I'm begging you. You too, Darryl. This is important. The fewer people who know about us, the safer all of us will be. And by 'us', I'm including the two of you."

"So, what are you expecting us to do, Prue? Say nothing at all?" Darryl asked somberly.

"Look - let me offer this. Let's go over your case books. If my sisters and I had anything to do with any of your unsolved cases, I'll give you full disclosure - everything I know. I owe you that much. I honestly don't know if you're going to be able to officially close any of those cases based on my depositions, but I can at least tell you what really happened."

"And then what?"

"It's like I said," Prue said quietly. "My life's in your hands."

Andy and Darryl exchanged a look.

"We won't say anything - for now," Andy said at last.

Prue sighed with genuine relief. "Thank you. Both of you."

"But yeah - I think we will take you up on your offer," Andy said. "There are a lot of unsolved murders in our files that could use some answers."

"In the meantime, the Matthews girl needs to go into witness protection - if not the hospital," Darryl added.

"She won't," said Piper, walking into the kitchen. Uncharacteristically, she poured herself a cup of coffee and took a long swig.

"What do you mean?" Darryl frowned. "That girl was all but cut to ribbons."

"She's fine."

"Oh, that's just -"

"No, really. She's fine. Not a scratch on her."

Prue frowned in suspicion. "Piper? What's going on?"

Piper made an uneasy glance at the detectives.

"It's all right," Prue assured her. "They're not carting us off to jail. At least, not yet."

"Oh. Well, that's nice of you guys."

"Piper." Prue called her to attention. "What's going on with Paige?"

"Well, it turns out -" Piper took another swig from her coffee cup - "Our guardian angel is also a healer. And I don't mean a medic. He just laid Paige out on the bed, put his hands over her, like this -" Piper demonstrated with her open palms - "And - this light just came out of his hands, and all her wounds closed up, like they were never there."

"You're serious."

"Go see for yourself, Prue. I saw it with my own eyes, and I still don't believe it."

"So, this guy Leo - is he also a witch?" Darryl asked.

"He's a guardian angel," Piper assured him. "A real one. Sent from -" she jerked a thumb upwards, in the direction of the ceiling. "And don't ask me to explain that. I can't."

"Where is Paige now?" Prue asked.

"Well, we threw her in the tub, to clean her up. I just now put her to bed in Phoebe's room. I'm going to take her some warm milk and a mild sedative."

"Has she said anything?" Andy asked.

"Not a peep. Maybe after she's had some rest, we can ask her what happened."

"Can we leave her here?" Andy asked Darryl.

"She has no other family, and nowhere else to stay," Prue added, as Darryl mulled over his reply. "She can stay with us, until we can figure something else out."

She glanced at Piper, who nodded her assent.

"Fine. But I want this house staked out," Darryl gave in, unable to find a counter argument for the inexplicable. "This nut job is still on the loose, and the Matthews girl is still a target."

"Yes, and so are we," Prue sighed somberly.

"I'll stay here tonight," Andy volunteered. He cast a quick glance at Prue. "That is - if you don't mind."

"I'd be grateful, Andy."

Prue then gave Darryl her sweetest smile. "Are we agreed, Darryl? Andy and Leo will watch over us tonight, and in the morning, you can stop by - and we'll see if we can get some answers."

Darryl Morris clearly didn't approve, but he knew there was nothing else to be said. "I'm going to have two black and whites parked at either end of the street," he sighed, capitulating.

"Thank you, Darryl."

About an hour later, Darryl Morris left the house, and Piper and Leo returned upstairs to keep watch over Paige. Prue and Andy settled in together on the living room couch.

"Hell of a night," Andy yawned.

"You're not kidding. What time is it, anyway?"

"Just after two."

"Ugh. No wonder I'm exhausted."

"So - this demon that's after Paige -"

"You know as much as I do, Andy," Prue sighed. "Hopefully, we can talk to Paige tomorrow, and get enough of a description that Piper and I can determine who or what this demon is. Then we can figure out how to deal with him. For now, let's just call it a night. Please?"

"Yeah. You're right. I can sleep down here, on the sofa," Andy suggested.

"You could," Prue nodded slowly. "But - you're welcome to spend the night in a real bed." She gave the handsome detective a shy smile. Andy smiled back at her, but his smile was tinged with sadness.

"I can't even begin to imagine what it's cost you, to reveal your secret to us tonight," he said somberly. "I'm so sorry, Prue. I really had no idea."

"Not what you expected, huh?"

"I suspected a great many things," Andy admitted. "But suspicion isn't proof. Still, I'm glad you told me."

"Are you - okay with it?" Prue asked, unable to keep the anxiety out of her voice.

"Honestly, Prue? I have to side with Morris on this one. I really don't know what to think."

Prue mulled that over.

"Stay with me tonight," she said softly. "Please."

She reached for his hand and squeezed it gently.

"Whatever else is going on, no matter how weird things get - right now, I need you, Andy."

After a moment's hesitation, Andy leaned in and kissed Prue lightly on the lips.

"You know I would do anything for you," he said softly.

Prue returned his kiss, longer, lingering, more ardent.

"Let's go to bed," she whispered huskily.

She took his hand, and led him up the stairs.

* * *

In Phoebe's bedroom, Paige Matthews was tossing and turning, in the grip of a horrid nightmare. The demon had who attacked her was standing over her, laughing.

"How can you be here?" Paige demanded.

"You're dreaming, little one," the demon cackled. "I can visit you in your dreams."

"You can't hurt me if I'm asleep," Paige protested, but there was no confidence in her voice.

The demon seemed genuinely amused. "Is that so," he said, with a malevolent grin.

"Please, leave me alone," Paige whimpered piteously.

"If you surrender your powers, I will let you live."

"Powers? What powers? What are talking about?"

"If you are no longer Charmed, then you and your sisters are no threat to my master."

Paige shook her head, not understanding. "I don't know what you're talking about. I don't have any sisters. I'm adopted."

"Really. That sounds like a lie to me." He smiled. "I know where you are," he sang tauntingly.

"What ARE you?" Paige demanded.

The demon's lips peeled back in an ugly sneer, baring his fanged teeth.

"The End," said Shax, lunging for her.


	3. Chapter 3

It was a biting cold Monday morning in San Francisco. The frigid temperatures of the previous night had not yet warmed in the weak, late winter daylight. Prue Halliwell, waking in her own bedroom, was immediately aware of three things: first, the sun was up, which meant the night had passed without incident; second, for the first time in months, she was not alone in her bed; and third, she desperately needed to pee.

Cautiously, Prue sat up, taking great care to displace Andy Trudeau's draping arm away from her torso. Although only just awakened, Prue couldn't help but smile. She had been so sure that when she told Andy the truth about herself - that she and her sisters were witches - the knowledge would end any hope she had of a lasting relationship with him. And while Andy had been distinctly nonplussed when he had learned the truth, he had gallantly and generously given them both the benefit of the doubt; and Prue's waking emotion, more than anything else, was one of heartfelt gratitude.

Not wanting to leave the warmth and comfort of the bed, but needing to, she slipped off the mattress as quietly as she could, grabbed her kimono - which doubled as her house dress - and hurried to the bathroom.

A few moments later, much relieved, she stepped back out into the hallway. The doors of all three bedrooms were slightly ajar, just as they had been the night before. Prue and Piper had both felt it best to sacrifice a little privacy, in order to be able to listen for Paige, should she cry out in the night. Prue tiptoed to Phoebe's bedroom, and pushed the door open just wide enough to peer inside.

The object of Prue's concern, flame-haired Paige Matthews, was fast asleep on the bed, wearing one of Phoebe's t-shirts as a nightdress. She was rolled onto her side facing the door, breathing deep and regular, her moon-shaped face in complete repose. Prue watched over her for a long moment. Yesterday, Paige had been covered in dirt and blood, screaming in terror; now she seemed utterly tranquil, and, thanks to Piper's boyfriend Leo Wyatt, any physical wounds left by her demonic attacker had completely vanished. Prue could only pray the emotional wounds would heal as easily.

Prue bit her lower lip, feeling a pang of sadness and guilt. She couldn't help feeling she was at least partially responsible for placing Paige in harm's way. After Phoebe left San Francisco, Prue and Piper had gone looking for their long-lost half-sister, based on information they'd received from Phoebe. Looking at Paige now, Prue couldn't help wondering, if they hadn't approached her, introduced themselves, maybe she would still be safe. Paige had never been the target of a demon attack before - not until her sisters had come looking for her. And yesterday, Paige had nearly died.

And there were so many things they truly didn't know about Paige - in fact, they had only briefly met twice. Was she, in fact, a witch, as Prue and Piper were? Did she have magical powers or spell casting abilities? Was she even related to the Halliwells? Prue had to admit, she didn't have a sure answer to any of those questions, except perhaps the last.

In order to locate Paige, Prue and Piper had cast the spell to call a lost witch. The spell was specifically woven to seek out not just any witch, but a relative of the Halliwell family. And the spell had worked. Paige was brought to them safely as a result. Which certainly implied she was related to Prue and her sisters. But related how? Sister? Cousin? Some other, perhaps more distant, relation?

Prue shook her head slightly. Too many questions, no answers. Perhaps after Paige was awake, she could find some.

She peeked back into her own bedroom. Andy was still dead to the world, snoring gently now that he had rolled onto his stomach after Prue had left his embrace. She regarded him wistfully. She wanted nothing more than to crawl back into the warm bed and into his arms and stay there as long as she could. But the reason that Andy was here - and Paige - and even Leo - was that the sisters were under threat from a demonic attack, one that could come at any time. There wasn't any time to waste.

She heard a soft, muted clunking from somewhere downstairs. Frowning, Prue padded to the stairwell, and after hesitating a moment, descended as quietly as she could. The intermittent noises were coming from the kitchen. The sounds were neither violent or even especially loud - but Prue could take nothing for granted. She stepped cautiously onto the landing, tiptoed to the entrance of the kitchen, and peeked around the doorframe.

She sighed in relief, seeing her younger sister Piper, casually dressed in sweats and slippers, setting out ingredients on the butcher block island to make a family-style breakfast. Piper looked up, and smiled wearily at her.

"Hey."

"Hey yourself. You're up early."

"Didn't sleep much." As Piper laid out more ingredients from the refrigerator, Prue noticed the distinctly dark circles under her sister's eyes.

Prue permitted herself a sly grin. "I hope that was because your boyfriend came back last night."

Piper set a mixing bowl on the counter, and gave her sister a withering glance. "I couldn't sleep. I couldn't get that picture out of my mind. Paige was gonna die, Prue. Those cuts she had - they weren't scratches. I swear some of them went clean to the bone -"

"You don't need to remind me," Prue cut her sister off, suppressing a shudder.

"Paige should have bled out in a matter of minutes. And Leo just - " Piper shook her head, still disbelieving. "The wounds didn't close, they just vanished. He saved her, Prue. She'd almost certainly be dead, if Leo hadn't been here."

"Then I guess it's a good thing he came back."

Without having to ask, Piper poured a cup of coffee for her sister and passed it over to her.

"Thanks," Prue said, taking the cup. "Should I ask, why is he back?"

"He says he's here to protect us."

"And that's all?" Prue raised an eyebrow.

Piper fidgeted for a moment. "He says he's in love with me."

A sly grin creeped across Prue's face. "Well, that part's not exactly news."

"He says he's here to stay this time."

"And is that a good thing?" Prue asked, utterly serious.

Piper didn't answer for a long time. She looked at her sister, her eyes wide and sober. "I don't think I could take anybody else leaving me," she said softly. "No matter what the reason." She deliberately changed the subject. "So, what kind of demon are we up against?"

"I have no idea," Prue admitted. "I'm hoping, when Paige wakes up, we can get some answers from her - at least, enough to go looking in the Book of Shadows for some help."

"I was half expecting some kind of attack last night."

"I was, too," Prue nodded grimly. "But the magical barrier I set up yesterday is still intact. It hasn't been breached. In fact, it looks like it hasn't even been touched."

"So, it kept the demon out?" Piper asked hopefully.

"I kind of doubt it," Prue shook her head. "A high ranking demon could still force his way in here pretty easily - if he had a mind to do so."

"So maybe it's not a very powerful demon."

"Or maybe just a very patient one." Prue regarded everything that Piper had set out - it seemed like half the pantry was now scattered across the kitchen island. "Planning to feed an army?"

"It's been a long time since we've had a full house," Piper pointed out, a little defensively. "Leo's here, Andy's here, and Paige - and Darryl's coming over this morning, too. I have a feeling the conversation today might get heavy. So before all that nastiness starts, we can at least have a good breakfast."

"You're a saint," Prue said admiringly.

"I'm a witch," Piper retorted, making a playful face at her sister. "How about you? Did you and Andy have a good night?"

"Well, it was after two when we went to bed." Prue grinned ruefully. "I'm pretty sure I fell asleep on him in the middle of sex."

"Prue!"

"Hey, I had a long day." She sipped her coffee. "I just hope Andy will forgive me."

"Prue - Andy's willing to forgive anything for you. Or hadn't you noticed?"

"Yeah," Prue smiled shyly. "I guess I am pretty lucky."

"We deserve the best," Piper declared emphatically. "With all the crap we have to put up with as witches, the least we should get in return are the best boyfriends."

Prue hoisted her coffee cup. "Here's to having the best boyfriends."

Piper toasted with her juice glass, and then set back to work on breakfast with single-minded determination.

"Do you want any help with that?" Prue asked.

"Nope. This is my therapy," Piper declared. "When things get weird, I cook."

"There are worse coping mechanisms," Prue agreed. "Well, I'm going to go grab a quick shower."

Piper gave her sister an exasperated look. "You're going to use all the hot water, aren't you?"

"Survival of the fittest, sis." Prue grinned.

"Okay. Just to warn you, when I'm done here, I'm gonna freeze the whole house for about ten minutes."

Prue frowned in puzzlement. "What for?"

"Prue. We have a house full of men," Piper sighed, clearly annoyed at having to explain the obvious. "And before it's time to serve breakfast, I want to clean myself up, and at least be wearing clothes."

Prue gave her sister a teasingly sly grin. "Leo might like it better if you were wearing less."

"Okay, that's it. Enough! Out! SHOO!" Piper playfully waved her wooden spoon at her sister, chasing her from the room; and giggling, Prue retreated the relative safety of the stairwell.

A few moments later, Prue trudged back upstairs, determined to grab a shower while there was still hot water in the house. Before staking her lavatorial claim, however, she peeked into Phoebe's bedroom once more. Paige hadn't moved, but she was now awake, staring off into space, seeing nothing.

Prue opened the door quietly and slipped inside.

"Hey," she whispered softly. "Good morning. How are you feeling?"

Paige didn't answer; she barely reacted to Prue's presence. Prue sat on the edge of the bed, regarding the young woman carefully. She didn't seem catatonic, but her eyes had no focus, simply lost in some middle distance. After debating a moment, Prue reached over and took Paige's hand in hers.

"You're in my house, in San Francisco," Prue spoke softly, trying to impart information while being as emotionally neutral as she could manage. There was no doubt that Paige was traumatized by being assaulted. Prue prayed fervently that the damage wasn't permanent. She squeezed Paige's hand gently. Paige closed her eyes, and as she did so, a fat tear rolled down one cheek. Prue felt a pang of sympathetic dismay. Impulsively, she leaned over and left a maternal kiss on Paige's forehead.

"Oh, Paige, it's going to be all right," Prue murmured, wishing she could promise safety, and knowing she couldn't. "You have a whole house full of people who are going to do whatever they can to protect you."

Paige opened her eyes again and looked directly at Prue.

"He knows where we are," she said.

Prue felt the hairs on the back of her neck rising up.

"Who knows, Paige?"

"The demon."

"The one who attacked you?"

"I can hear him, like I know what he's thinking," Paige said, her eyes filling with tears. "How is that possible? How do I even know he's a demon? What's happening to me?"

Prue drew in a sharp breath. Was it possible that Paige was precognitive - just like Phoebe?

"Paige. This is important. Do you see this demon right now? Do you hear him?"

Paige shook her head sadly.

Prue sighed with relief. "He must have left earth, then," she decided aloud.

"He's coming back," Paige declared, her voice shaking with fright.

"Yes, he is," Prue agreed grimly. "And when he does, we'll be ready for him."

* * *

A short time later, the Halliwell sisters and their guests were gathering around the big dining room table for breakfast. Andy's detective partner Darryl Morris arrived a few minutes before ten.

"Darryl! Hi, come on in," Prue welcomed him warmly at the front door. "Your timing's perfect. We were just about to sit down to breakfast."

"I'm here on police business, Prue."

"We know." Prue gave him her most disarming smile. "So is Andy. Paige is still in bed. Please, come sit with us. Have a cup of coffee, at least."

Darryl entered the foyer, and Prue closed the door behind him. "That girl should be in a hospital," Darryl pointed out, not unkindly, as he shrugged out of his overcoat. Prue shook her head.

"We can't risk it, Darryl. The bad guy who's after Paige isn't just any bad guy - he's a demon. He wouldn't think twice about murdering an entire floor of nurses, doctors and other patients, just to get at her. She's safer here - and so is everyone else." She could see that Darryl was about to argue the point. "Darryl, please, I know how weird this all sounds. And I know it's hard to believe. I'm asking you, please. Trust me. We're doing the right thing. One innocent person has died already. I don't want anyone else to die. Not one more person."

"I agree with you there," Darryl said somberly. Prue took his coat and hung it on one of the pegs beside the door.

Andy Trudeau joined them in the foyer. He was wearing his clothes from the night before, but without his tie or jacket.

"Hey, Morris. Good morning."

"All's been quiet?"

"So far."

Darryl allowed himself to be brought into the dining area, where Piper and Leo greeted him warmly and offered him a seat. Prue noted with a grin that Piper had dressed in a flattering semi-formal black cocktail dress; that was obviously for Leo's benefit. Prue herself had settled for a simple white blouse and jeans.

Darryl looked over the spread on the table in bemusement: scrambled eggs with cheese, grilled potatoes with peppers and sweet onion, ham slices, cut fresh fruit, apple muffins, glazed croissants, juice and coffee. He shook his head admiringly.

"You must have been up for hours making this," he marveled.

"Nahh. It only takes about five minutes," Piper grinned. "If you know how to slow down time."

"How is Miss Matthews? Have any of you talked to her this morning?" Darryl asked, as he took a seat.

"I did," Prue nodded. "Just to ask her how she was. I didn't ask her anything about what happened last night."

"How is she?"

"Groggy. Weak. And scared," Prue admitted. "But, she should be able to answer questions."

"After breakfast," Piper added sternly. "I'm going to take a tray up to her in a few minutes."

After Piper offered a quick prayer, everyone dug into the meal with gusto, Darryl included.

"Darryl, I was wondering if you and I could visit Paige's apartment later," Prue asked, once the meal was well underway. "I'd like to bring some of her clothes back here."

The detective could hardly hide his surprise. "You want to let her stay here, with you?"

"I think that would be a good idea, yes," Prue answered, casting a sidelong glance at Piper. After a moment's consideration, Piper nodded her agreement. "At least for now. She'll be safer from demons here than almost anywhere. And it's not like she can go home. Her apartment was almost completely destroyed."

"Was the damage really that bad?" Piper asked.

"It was like a bomb went off in there," Prue shuddered. "Also, Darryl, Andy, I would like to be in the room when you talk with Paige."

"That's probably not a good idea, Prue."

"Please, Darryl. First of all, Paige knows me - at least, more than she knows either of you. My being there might make her more comfortable. And if she's able to give us a description of the demon, I can start doing some research to help track him down."

"So you're convinced this is a demon we're dealing with," Andy sought to clarify. "A real demon."

"Straight out of Hell. Yes." Prue grinned ruefully at the two detectives. "Believe me, guys, I do know how ridiculous that sounds."

"Let's table our perp's demonic pedigree for now," Andy decided aloud. "What does he want with Paige?"

"I don't know," Prue admitted. "Usually, if a demon goes after a witch, it's because he's trying to steal the witch's powers."

"You think Paige is a witch?" Leo's question carried a subtext which Prue recognized instantly: was Paige a Charmed One?

"I'm sorry, Leo, I don't know that either," Prue admitted. "But it would make sense."

Darryl frowned. "How do you mean?"

"Piper and I had contacted Paige last week, because we think she might be a relative of the Halliwell family. If she is, then there's a chance, a good chance, that she's a witch too."

"But you've never met her, before last week."

Prue shook her head. "No. And before you ask, I've only met her twice. We haven't determined if she's a witch or a Halliwell at this point."

Darryl sipped his coffee thoughtfully. "I'm still stuck on trying to believe there are demons and witches," he admitted frankly.

"What you saw yesterday was just the tip of the iceberg, Darryl," Prue smiled grimly.

"This is nothing," Piper added. "We've seen stuff you wouldn't believe. I still have a hard time believing half the stuff _I've_ seen."

She started to gather portions on a plate for Paige. "I'm going to go sit with our guest of honor for a few minutes," she announced. "I'll let you know when it's okay to come upstairs."

"I'll clean up the kitchen, if you like," Leo offered.

Piper rewarded him with a quick kiss. "You're an angel," she declared. She disappeared into the kitchen long enough to get a tray, then carried the plate of food, a glass of orange juice, a mug of water and a small cup of coffee up the stairwell.

"If you guys need me for anything, just holler," Leo got up also, taking his coffee mug with him and ambling into the kitchen.

"Thanks, Leo," Prue called after him.

Once they were alone, Prue turned to Andy and Darryl. "I think we're dealing with something far more serious here," she confided in a low voice. "This demon isn't just out to steal a witch's powers - assuming Paige has any. It's obvious his intent was to kill her."

"Then what's his motive?" Andy repeated his earlier question. "Why is he after Paige?"

Prue sighed. "That's just it. I wish I knew. All I have are suspicions. But it's like you said, Andy. Suspicions aren't proof."

"Well, share what you suspect," Andy suggested. "Morris and I are completely in the dark here."

Prue hesitated for a moment. "As I told you before, my sisters and I are witches," she began haltingly. "We're also a coven. As such, when we combine our magical powers, together, we're far stronger than any one of us individually. Piper, Phoebe and I were responsible for putting away a lot of demons over the last six months."

"But now Phoebe's gone," Andy said quietly.

Prue nodded sadly. "And when Phoebe left, our collective power of three went with her."

"So, where's Phoebe now?" Darryl asked.

Prue closed her eyes for just a moment. The answer to Darryl's question would not only take far too long to explain, but was also just too painful for Prue to deal with at the moment.

"Too far away to help us," Prue lamented. "But - if Paige is really a witch - and related to us - then there's a chance she could help us restore the coven," Prue mused, almost talking to herself. "Which would be bad news for demons. Piper and I, by ourselves, aren't really much of a threat to any high level demon. But a full coven of good witches, with all their powers, would definitely be a threat to any demons trying to operate in San Francisco."

"So he might be trying to kill Paige, to prevent a new coven from forming?" Andy suggested.

"It's possible. If Paige is a witch, she's unaware of her powers. Which means she would be unable to defend herself from any sort of magical or demonic attack. She would be just as vulnerable as any normal person. Certainly an easier target than either Piper or me."

"So, how do we find him?" Darryl asked. "And more importantly, how do we stop him?"

"That would be the million dollar question," Prue answered grimly.

* * *

Piper came up to Phoebe's bedroom door, knocked gently, and peeked inside. Paige lifted her head off her pillow, her face blanched with fear; but on seeing Piper, she relaxed and settled back down. Piper stepped inside the room and closed the door behind her.

"Hey, Paige," she greeted her in the quietest, most soothing voice she could manage. "I don't know if you remember me. I'm Piper - Prue's sister. We met last week." She set the tray down on an ottoman next to the bed. "Actually, we met again last night. But I'm guessing you don't remember much of that."

Paige didn't answer; she simply regarded Piper silently, her wide eyes wavering between suspicion and trust.

"I brought you some breakfast," Piper offered. "I thought you might be hungry."

"Thanks," Paige managed to answer, her voice a ragged whisper.

"Would you like to sit up?"

It was immediately obvious that Paige was still very weak, almost to the point of being incapacitated. Piper stepped over to the bedside. "Here, let me help you," she murmured.

Piper gently pulled Paige into a more or less upright position, and stuffed an extra pillow behind her back, so she could lean her full weight against the headboard.

"How's that?" Piper asked, anxiously noting Paige's too-pale complexion.

"Sorry," Paige mumbled. "Still woozy."

"I don't doubt that," Piper said sympathetically. "Would you like to try to eat something?"

"Yes, please."

Paige was so weak that she couldn't even feed herself, so Piper maternally spoon-fed the breakfast to her. Paige ate very slowly, but she seemed to have a good appetite, and managed to eat the better part of a scrambled egg and apple muffin, along with a small glass of juice and a mug of cold water. Piper sighed with relief, seeing some color starting to return to Paige's bloodless cheeks.

Paige closed her eyes and relaxed against the headboard.

"Thanks," she said gratefully.

Piper reached over and gently brushed a stray lock of Paige's bright red hair away from her pale face.

"It's probably gonna be a day or two before you can get out of bed," she said quietly. "But Prue and Leo and I will look after you, until you're back on your feet."

"Okay."

"And I'll see if I can find an extra pair of sweat pants for you. We have a whole house full of men today, so the last thing we need is for you to be running around here bare-assed."

Paige managed a weak grin. "Please tell Inspector Morris I can see him now."

Piper raised an eyebrow quizzically. "You _know_ he's here?"

"Yeah. How do I know that? And I know that you and Prue are witches. I don't know how I know that, either."

Piper took the comment in stride. "Yeah, well, Prue and I are good witches. And we're going to look after you."

"I know. Thank you." Paige closed her eyes again. "Please hurry. I think I'm gonna fall asleep soon."

Piper quickly descended the stairs. Prue, Andy and Darryl looked up at her expectantly.

"Hey, guys. She's still really woozy, but Paige says she's ready to talk to you."

Everyone got up out of their seats immediately.

"Hey, Leo, we'll be upstairs," Prue called out towards the kitchen.

Leo came to the doorway, dish towel in hand. "Sure," he nodded. "Call me if you need anything."

Prue grinned at him. "We'll just yell 'Leo!' at the top of our lungs."

Leo returned the grin. "That'll be fine," he assured her.

A few moments later, Prue, Piper, Andy and Darryl had gathered around Paige's bed. She was laying down again, and while the color was definitely coming back into her cheeks, it was all she could do to keep her eyes open. Prue sat in the chair nearest the nightstand, and took one of Paige's hands in hers.

"Hey, sweetie," she murmured softly. "I won't ask you how you're feeling. I'm guessing the answer is lousy."

Paige managed a weak smile. "Hi, Prue. Piper made me breakfast. She's a really good cook."

Even at their highest, Paige's eyelids were barely rising above half-mast.

"Paige, this is my boyfriend, Andy Trudeau," Prue made quick introductions. "And this is Darryl Morris. They're inspectors with the police department. They'd like to ask you a few questions."

"Hey, guys," she croaked, surveying the anxious faces bending over her. "I'll try to tell you what I know before I pass out."

"Thanks. We'll try to keep this brief, Miss Matthews."

"You're looking for a demon. His name is Shax -"

"Shax?"

"Well, that's what he calls himself, anyway. He can appear and disappear at will. I don't know how he does it. He's big and blue and he glows in the dark. And yes, I know how stupid that sounds."

"Did he say anything to you?" Andy asked.

"He told me his name. I don't think he said anything else, though."

"And you've never seen this guy before yesterday?"

Paige managed the barest shake of her head. "No. I don't know why he's after me. But it has something to do with you two." She pointed at shaky finger at Prue and Piper. The sisters exchanged a worried glance.

"He won't attack you here," Paige continued, addressing herself to Prue, her voice starting to slur. "He doesn't want to risk a battle with the Charmed Ones in their own home. He thinks he can beat you, but he'd rather wait you out."

"Until we're away from home, and more vulnerable," Prue said grimly.

"Yeah," Paige nodded weakly. "But I think you can find him in the Book of Shadows. Maybe there's a spell, or something."

"You know about the Book of Shadows, Paige?" Piper asked.

"Yeah. It's weird. I don't know how I even know half this stuff. Oh. And don't try to use guns. That'll only piss him off." Her head began to loll to one side. "Sorry," she mumbled. "Gotta sleep now."

Within seconds, she was snoring gently.

Darryl shook his head in exasperation. "What the hell," he swore softly.

After it was obvious Paige was not going to wake, Prue brought Paige's hand to her lips, kissed it gently, and then stood up.

"Guys," Prue whispered, tilting her head towards the bedroom door. "Outside."

By common consent, they crept from the room, and Piper quietly closed the door behind them. Once they were back downstairs, Leo came in from the kitchen to join them in the living room.

"I'll go upstairs and sit with Paige, while you're talking," he offered.

Piper slipped her smaller hand inside his. "She's asleep, Leo."

Leo shook his head grimly. "None of you should be left alone right now," he said, addressing his remarks to Prue and Piper. "I'm serious. I think your lives are in real danger, and each of you should have someone with you at all times. Even inside the house."

"Do you know something about this guy, Leo?" Darryl asked hopefully.

"This demon, specifically?" Leo shook his head again. "I'm sorry, Inspector, no, I don't. But I know enough about demons in general to understand they are a real threat. Please, take whatever Piper and Prue tell you very, very seriously. No matter how weird it sounds."

"You really are a guardian angel, aren't you?" Piper said, looking up at him, truly believing it.

Leo managed a smile for Piper and squeezed her hand. "I'll be upstairs."

He gave her a quick kiss and then hurried up the stairs.

Darryl sank his head into his hands.

"Feel like turning in your badge, Morris?" Andy asked, not unsympathetically.

Darryl sat up again, and sighed heavily. "This is just too damn weird for me," he admitted.

"Believe me, Darryl, we really do know how you feel," Prue assured him. "When Piper and I first found out we were witches, we weren't exactly happy about it."

"We thought it was the worst thing ever," Piper added softly. "We thought we were cursed."

"It's taken us a long time to figure out - we've been blessed with a remarkable gift." Prue's expression grew thoughtful. "And we've been given a chance to walk in a wider world than most people ever get to see. Some of it is frightening, and dangerous. Like demons."

"And warlocks," Piper added.

"But some of it -" A smile slowly spread across Prue's face. "Some of it is just amazing. And it really is magic. That's the only word I have for it."

She clasped Andy's hand and smiled at him gratefully. "I'm so sorry you guys got caught up in this," she said. "But there's no one I trust more, to keep our secret."

"Honestly, Prue? We didn't understand half of what Paige said," Andy said ruefully.

"Charmed Ones? A Book of Shadows? It's gobbledygook," Darryl added.

"Oh, boy. Yeah. Explanations," Prue muttered with a moue of distaste. "Okay. So. The Book of Shadows is an ancient family grimoire - a textbook of magic that's been in the Halliwell family for generations. And Piper, Phoebe and I - we're a coven of witches that's known as the Charmed Ones."

"We didn't pick that name ourselves," Piper added, a little defensively.

"Still, no matter how Paige knew about the book, she's absolutely right, we need to consult it," Prue looked at her sister.

Piper nodded. "I'll bring it down here."

"Thanks."

As Piper got up, Prue said, "Piper, wait." She turned to Morris. "Darryl, go with her. Please."

Darryl got up reluctantly, but he managed a smile.

"I won't let her out of my sight."

Prue smiled gratefully. "Thank you."

As Piper and Darryl went upstairs, Prue leaned back on the couch, and discreetly wiped a tear away. She glanced at Andy.

"You've been awfully quiet."

Andy shrugged helplessly. "It's been one very strange weekend."

"Yeah. Boy, if that's not the understatement of the year," Prue agreed. "I'm so sorry, Andy."

"What for?"

"This is a lot to dump on you."

Andy gave Prue a bemused smile. "Honestly, Prue, as weird as everything has been, I'm just glad you're not hiding from me any more."

"That makes two of us. But now you can see what I was up against. I mean, every time something supernatural happened - what was I supposed to say? How could I have told you, so you wouldn't think I was completely insane?"

Andy shook his head. "Hell, Prue, I saw what you did yesterday with my own eyes, and I'm still wondering if I shouldn't have myself carted off to the loony bin."

"There's a lot of bad stuff going on out there, Andy. And by that, I mean, demon stuff. I really, really did not want to drag you into this. I didn't know what else to do. I'm so sorry."

"Don't be. It's not your fault."

"I just wish I could have found some better way to tell you. This is definitely _not_ what I had in mind."

They sat in uncomfortable silence for a few moments, and finally, Prue exhaled a ragged sigh. "When I first found out I was a witch, I was devastated," she confided. "All I wanted was to be rid of it. I just wanted to be _normal."_

Something suspiciously like a smirk crossed Andy's face.

"What?" Prue demanded.

"You've never been normal, Prue. You're anything _but_ normal."

"Tread carefully, Mister Trudeau," Prue cautioned.

"Exceptional is the word I'd use." As Prue arched an eyebrow, Andy added, "Don't you see that? Why would I even be interested in you, if you were just like everyone else?"

Prue's mouth fell open in surprise. "You mean -"

"Even when we were dating before, I saw this most amazing woman," Andy grinned, remembering. "You were driven, you were purposeful, you knew exactly what you wanted out of life, and you knew how you were going to get there. You just had this - _electricity_ \- about you. You were going to be successful, no matter what you decided to do. And smart," Andy marveled. "After all this time, I've never met anyone half as smart as you are. Anywhere I've ever been with you, you've always been the smartest person in the room. I've always admired that about you. I still do."

Prue felt a distinct fluttering in her heart. "You - you never told me that," she said, her dusky voice quavering slightly.

Andy gave her a rueful smile. "Maybe that's something I kept secret, and shouldn't have. So maybe that makes us even?" he asked hopefully.

Prue stared at him for a long moment, and then suddenly pressed herself against him, kissing him passionately. Their kiss was long and lingering. When they finally released one another, Prue looked at him tearfully.

"Forgive me," she whispered.

"Always," Andy whispered back. "As long as you do the same for me."

Prue sealed the agreement with another passionate kiss, even more ardent than the first.

Piper and Darryl came back into the living room, the massive Book of Shadows in Piper's arms. They stared at lovers dumbfoundedly.

Piper cringed with embarrassment. "I can't believe I'm related to her, some days," she muttered, shaking her head.

"Trudeau?" Darryl called out, then shouted angrily, "HEY! TRUDEAU!"

Neither Prue nor Andy seemed to hear them or take any notice. Piper sighed.

"Come on, Darryl," she said. "Let's go sit in the atrium." She tugged at his hand gently. "Leave them be," she advised. "They're perfectly safe. They're surrounded by an impenetrable force field of lust. Not even a high level demon is breaking through that. It's probably stronger than the protection spell Prue put around the house."

With considerable ill grace, Darryl allowed himself to be led away. In the atrium, Piper placed the massive grimoire on the low table, and settled herself into one of the chairs.

"Come on, Darryl, have a seat," she cajoled him. "We'll be getting nothing useful out of those two for a while. So let's see if we can find out who our bad guy is."

Darryl seated himself glumly in the chair across from Piper.

Piper splayed her fingers, palms down, a few inches above the surface of the grimoire.

"Show me Shax," she intoned.

The book opened by itself, and beneath Piper's hands, the aged, yellowed pages began to turn themselves over. Darryl stared at the book with wide eyes.

"Does it always do that?" he asked, in a slightly strangled voice.

"Hell, this is nothing, Darryl. The really freaky part is when the book does this, and we didn't ask it to."

"How do you deal with it?" Darryl asked.

"Deal with what?"

"All - this."

"Witchcraft? Magic? Demons and sorcerers?"

"Yeah."

"Having a good sense of humor really helps," Piper nodded thoughtfully. Then she grinned. "And an occasional Valium."

The book finally stopped fluttering, and Piper looked down upon the settled page.

 _"The Source's Assassin,"_ she read aloud. "Ugh. I'm not liking the sound of that at all. Who or what the hell is 'The Source'?"

"Seriously. This guy we're after is in a hundred year old magic book?"

"Hush, Darryl, let me read. Let's see: _'Corporealizes out of wind and air. Method of attack is a ferocious blast of wind that can be lethal to its victim.'_ Well, at least there's a spell here to vanquish him. Doesn't say if it has to be a power of three spell, though."

"Power of three spell?"

"That means a spell that has to be chanted by the entire coven, together." She looked up and gave him a reassuring smile. "Buck up, Darryl. We've got a way to put our bad guy behind bars, magically speaking."

* * *

Upstairs in Phoebe's bedroom, Paige began to toss and turn in her sleep, moaning softly. Leo frowned in concern and got up from his chair. "Paige?" he called out quietly, not sure if it was better to wake her.

The red-haired girl sat bolt upright in the bed, her eyes bulging with sheer terror.

"He's coming," she gasped.

* * *

Downstairs in the atrium, a wind sprang up out of nowhere. Darryl looked around in alarm. All around the perimeter of the house, bright sparks spewed outwards from the doorframes and windowsills - as if from short-circuiting wires.

"What the hell is that?" Darryl cried out.

Piper blanched. "Something's trying to breach the protection spell!"

Darryl and Piper both sprang to their feet, and just behind where Piper had been sitting, a whitish-blue glow filled the room, and then coalesced into a more or less human form. The demon Shax, now fully corporealized, regarded them both with malevolent contempt.

"That stupid book doesn't give you any really useful information about me," the demon huffed in mock indignation, as the light faded away. "For instance, it doesn't mention how much I love music. _Hello, little witch,"_ he sang tauntingly. _"I see you."_

With a feral snarl, he threw out his arm, and a bolt of energy flashed from his fingertips. With a shriek of fright, Piper threw herself at Darryl, knocking them both to the floor, just as a crackling energy bolt made a sizeable hole in the wall just above them, the edges of the impact site charred and smoking.

"You were supposed to be a _patient_ demon!" Piper complained bitterly.

"I'm very patient," the demon retorted. "My master is NOT!"

Prue and Andy rushed into the room, and gaped in astonishment at the sight of the demon.

"Prue, get DOWN!" Piper screamed, and Prue and Andy both ducked just in time to avoid a second bolt, which sailed out of the room and impacted elsewhere in the house.

Prue grimaced in both fright and anger, focusing her power; and in the kitchen, the silverware that had been laid out to dry on a cotton towel rose up and sailed through the air like dozens of tiny, murderous missiles - the tines of the forks and blades of the knives imbedding themselves to the hilt in the demon's blue skin. He bellowed with rage and pain.

"AARRGGHH! I'll get you for that, witch!"

"Prue!" Piper cried in dismay. "That's Gram's best silver!"

Prue grimaced. "Sorry."

Piper scrambled to Prue's side on her hands and knees, dragging the Book of Shadows with her.

Andy and Darryl had recovered themselves enough to get their feet, weapons drawn.

"Andy, NO -" Prue started to yell, but the two inspectors emptied their clips at close range into the demon's torso. He roared aloud, and sent two more projectiles - one from each arm - towards the men. Both had the sense to simply flatten themselves to the ground, but neither was fast enough to avoid a glancing blow that sent both men sprawling. They lay still, not moving.

"ANDY!" Prue shrieked.

"Prue, the spell!" Piper yelled breathlessly.

The demon whirled, turning on the witches, foaming with rage, as blood poured freely from the dozens of wounds on his chest.

"I was sent for the half-breed," he roared. "But the two of you will serve my master's needs even more!"

Their voices pitched with fright, the sisters hastily chanted the incantation: _"Evil wind that blows, that which forms below, no longer may you dwell, death takes you with this spell!"_

As before, a fierce whirlwind sprung up within the enclosed space, encircling the demon, constraining him, and finally, forcibly binding him. He bellowed and roared, struggling furiously, but the wind became light, brighter and brighter, and like a soap bubble popping, disappeared in a noiseless flash.

The demon was gone.

"Andy? ANDY?!" Prue shrieked, scrambling frantically to reach her lover's side. Leo Wyatt burst into the room, a look of abject fright on his face. He saw Piper laying on the floor, and quickly knelt beside her.

"I'm okay," she managed to say, utterly breathless. "Darryl, Andy - "

Leo quickly stepped over to where Prue was sobbing next to Andy's prone form, his face covered in blood. He checked the vitals of both men and sighed with relief.

"It's okay, Prue," he assured her, kneeling beside Andy and laying his hands on the detective's head. "He's alive. He took a good knock to the head, but he's going to be fine."

A bright glow surrounded Andy's skull, and then faded; Andy blinked furiously as he came to consciousness. Prue burst into fresh tears with relief.

Leo then hurried over to Darryl Morris, and helped him to his feet.

"Are you all right, Inspector?" he asked, helping to brush the debris from the man's suit.

"What the hell just happened?" Darryl asked numbly.

"I think you just answered your own question."

Piper rushed into Leo's arms, shaking with fright.

"It's okay," Leo assured her. "It's over." He looked over at Prue, who was helping Andy to sit up. "Paige knew he was coming. She tried to warn me."

"Is she all right?"

"She's fine," Leo nodded, and Prue hugged Andy tightly.

"Don't you EVER do anything that stupid, ever again -" she started to say, but Andy interrupted her mid-sentence with a passionate kiss, and she willingly accepted his apology.

* * *

Four days later, Paige was finally feeling well enough to move about the house, although Leo had insisted she not attempt anything more strenuous than climbing the stairs until she had her full strength back. Leo himself had spent almost the entire time repairing the considerable damage that had occurred in the house, sadly marveling that it had only taken a few seconds to destroy something that had taken weeks or even months to build, and now took days to repair. Prue and Piper had quietly attended the funeral for Wang Yingjie, and expressed their heartfelt condolences to the family. As the sisters returned from the service that afternoon, they could hear weeping coming from the living room. Exchanging a troubled glance, Prue and Piper walked in to see Paige sitting on the couch, tears streaming down her cheeks.

"Hey," Piper murmured in dismay, rushing to take a seat beside her. "What's the matter, sweetie?"

"Hey, you guys," Paige greeted them, trying to quiet her sobs. Prue settled in on the last seat on the couch, taking Paige's hand in hers. "How was the service?"

"Sad," Piper answered solemnly.

"I should have gone," Paige shook her head in self-disapproval.

"We expressed your sympathies," Prue assured her. "It's more important that you get well."

"So what's going on, Paige? Why are you crying?"

"It's just - I don't know what I'm going to do now," Paige admitted, tears still leaking from the corners of her eyes. "You guys have been so nice to me, but I can't stay here forever. But I lost the only home I had - I lost almost everything I own - I don't even know how I can afford to get into another place - "

Prue and Piper exchanged a knowing glance with each other.

"Ahh. Yeah. About that," Piper drawled. "Paige - we think we can help you with that little problem."

"We'd like you to stay here," Prue seconded. "With us."

Paige looked at one sister, then the other, incredulously. What she received in return was warm, welcoming smiles.

"You mean - you - you want me to live here?" she hiccuped, still choking back sobs. "Like, forever?"

"Well, maybe not _forever,"_ Piper teased her slightly. "But as long as you want or need to, yeah."

"But - you guys don't even know me. Not really. We just barely met."

Piper shook her head, smiling. "Doesn't matter," she assured her.

"But - but - what if we're not even related?" Paige quavered.

"Paige," Prue squeezed the girl's hand. "Whether or not we're family is something the three of us will decide. What Piper and I would like to know is, would you consider being part of _our_ family?"

"Will you be part of our home, and our coven?"

Fresh tears spilled down Paige's cheeks. "I - I couldn't do that - could I?"

"Of course you can," Prue grinned.

"Just say yes," Piper added.

"Yes," Paige sobbed, but this time she was crying with relief and joy, and smiling brightly. "Yes! I want to stay with you."

"Well, then, that's settled," Prue announced primly, but then her face broke into a wide grin. "Welcome home, Paige."

Paige hugged Prue tightly. "Thank you," she wept. "Thank you so much."

"You don't need to thank us," Prue assured her, returning the hug. "You're one of us. You're a Halliwell now."

"Paige sandwich," Piper declared, settling herself against the red-haired girl's back and hugging her from behind. The sisters huddled together, sharing tears of joy.

"You guys have no idea how much this means to me," Paige murmured, still weeping. "I never thought I would ever have a family of my own."

"Oh, this is nothing," Prue laughed heartily. "Just wait until you meet the _rest_ of the family!"


End file.
